Al-Khatebeh – Matchmaker
by Mini Goat
Summary: Jack O'Neill meets a long lost relative on a trip through the past. Merlin Needs SG1 to make sure Jack is born.
1. Two Roads Diverge

**_AN:_**_I really like time travel stories clearly because I've written another one. This is a situational cross over with MacGyver but not a true one as Agnus never shows up in the story though is mentioned and it ties directly into the events of Season 7, Ep7-8 if you want a bit of a memory jog. Please note the writers of MacGyver made some historical errors regarding when Arthur was allegedly king along with a few other things I've glossed over such as clothing. When in doubt I went with "historically accurate" or SG1 accurate including place names at the time. Any errors are my own (and Wikipedia as it's been a stone's age since I last studied these legends). A nod to the actor who played the balladeer (David L. Considine) I have given his character a 6__th__century appropriate version of his name by looking up the family history of his surname. Set just prior to Upgrades._

**Al-Khatebeh – Matchmaker**

**Chapter 1 – Two Roads Diverge**

"Unscheduled wormhole activation. No IDC." Walter said.

"Close the iris." Jack, who had been standing behind Walter told him.

"Sir the computer is being overridden. I'm locked out."

"Dammit get that iris closed Sergeant." Jack ordered sharply.

They watched as the Iris ignored all of Walter's command prompts and remained stubbornly open. Airmen flooded the gate room like armed ants and aimed at the gate.

"Walter." Jack said in a low warning tone.

"Still locked out sir." Walter said trying every combination he could think of to gain control of their system.

A tall grey haired man with a long beard walked through the iris. "I am in need of your help Colonel O'Neill." The man said looking up at the command room window. He held out his hands indicating surrender.

Jack sighed and grabbed the microphone. "Who are you?"

"I am… oh dear what is it your people call me later, hm, well, long ago now. Ah yes. Your people know me as Merlin." He nodded to himself as though proud of himself for remembering. "I will need the help of Major Carter as well."

Jack shook his head and ordered the airmen to stand down. "Get Carter and have her meet us in the briefing room" he told Walter who nodded and picked up the phone. "Airman, escort Mr. Merlin to the briefing room." Jack told the airman closest to the ancient bearded man on the gate ramp. He walked out of the command room looking up at the ceiling and shaking his head, muttering to himself.

* * *

"It is simple" The old man told Jack. "I simply cannot be in the same time twice on the same planet nor can I warn myself of the possibility that I have mistaken my mission not to contain Mogana but to ensure she is in the right place at the right time in the future and for that I need you."

"Me? What do I have to do with sixth century Brittan?"

"My dear boy it is crucial that you are the one who takes Doctor Jackson to Abydos." Merlin told him." You are the convergence."

"That makes sense sir." Sam told him entering the room. "Given our experiences with the quantum mirror."

Jack scowled. In a bunch of those realities he was dead. Almost all of them he'd married Sam or was engaged to her. In a couple they actually had a pretty nice life. In a small few she was dead and he was a shell of a man. As angry and dead inside as he'd been after Charlie except worse. Teal'c had told him this reality was the only one that mattered but he couldn't help but wonder about why it was always her.

"You are the reason Daniel Jackson lives in your reality." Merlin insisted and Jack really couldn't argue with that. He was dead in almost every one that Jack didn't bring him back after Sha'ri was taken and quite a few that he ignored Catherine's pleas and died before he even went.

"All right so if I'm so important why aren't you dealing with this yourself?"

"Because in the moment in time that you must intervene myself of that time is otherwise occupied with trivialities that will seem important to me at the moment." Merlin insisted.

"Such as?" Jack asked as he waved his hand nearly dismissively.

"Such as the death of Arthur of Pendragon at the hands of his own son."

"That's why I don't go to family reunions." Jack muttered and Sam bit back a smile of amusement. "Fine. What is it you expect us to do?" he finally asked.

"There is a young woman who must be escorted to Eriu from Brittania. She is part of a diplomatic agreement between Caledonia and the Hibernians. The treaty will not last but your ancestress Eilid M'Iver must wed Máel Ui Neill or you simply will not come to be."

"You SOLD her?!" Sam demanded and Jack covered his mouth in amusement. The old guy was knocking this one out of the park already he thought with amusement. Sam was going to eat the guy alive and he had center rink, season holder tickets.

"She will cement negotiations between the house of M'Iver and Ui Neill on behalf of all Brittania. It will avoid bloodshed." Merlin insisted. He rolled M'Iver together in such a way that it came out Miver.

"You're treating her like property." Sam growled and balled her fist in controlled rage.

Oh boy, time for an intervention. "Merlin has this girl entered willingly into the negotiations?" Jack asked him.

"Of course. We aren't monsters. She has met Captain Máel and agreed to the marriage herself."

"There, see Carter, she's volunteered."

"Sir with all due respect by her name alone she's Nordic. Sixth century Ireland is going to be like you having to live without the Simpsons for the rest of your life." She told Jack.

He hadn't thought of it that way. "Is there that much difference in their societies?" Jack asked Merlin.

"Some. Many Hibernians still dress in bear skins and battle nude but the nobility are generally clean and healthy and have most of their teeth." Merlin told him.

"Well there you go. She'll be fine. I'm kind of attached to being born Carter." He reminded her.

Sam huffed. "You better be telling the truth." She told Merlin.

"I have no reason to lie Major Carter. You, I think, have vested interest in the outcome here as well." Merlin told her pointedly.

Sam pursed her lips hard in an effort not to blush and looked away from Jack.

"I will provide you with a ship capable of traveling to the time in question, clothing, supplies and money to travel with, and a map. You will need to buy horses for your trip and food." Merlin told them. "You should also bring Teal'c."

"Isn't he going to stick out like a sore thumb?" Jack asked of the large Jaffa.

"Not necessarily sir. The Moors didn't invade Spain until the seventh century but there were some Berber traders in Europe as early as the fourth century. If we tell everyone Teal'c is a servant you saved from slavery no one will think twice about him." Sam suggested.

"Fine. We take the big guy. What else do we need to know?"

"Your ancestor will be easy to locate. Agnus M'Iver, her father, is of a similar look as yourself."

Sam nodded. It would be easy for her to spot a man who looked like the Colonel. "Where exactly will we find them."

"Why Camelot of course." Merlin said as though it were the most obvious of answers.

"Right. Where else would we find them." Sam replied in the put upon voice she usually reserved for tiresome politicians.

* * *

"I do not see why I also need to travel with you O'Neill." Teal'c was complaining to Jack while they stood in the NORAD hanger watching the ground crew load things on Merlin's puddle jumper.

"Yah I don't either T but the old guy says you should come so you're coming."

"Why is Daniel Jackson being exempted from this mission?"

"Hammond wants him to check out some ruins and Merlin wasn't a fan of him going. Something about temporal something or other. Ask Carter. She understood it."

"Why is the wizard not accompanying us if it is his responsibility to ensure your ancestors mate?"

Jack cringed a little at Teal'c's choice of words. "Something about disrupting the timeline I didn't understand either." Jack admitted. He wasn't being entirely honest though. He did understand the stuff. He just couldn't regurgitate it like Sam could when needed. That's what he had her for. Speaking of which what was with the exchange in the briefing room about Sam having a vested interest in him being born. This was why he hated the Alterans some times. They alternated between talking in riddles and making it very clear you knew what they meant but they weren't going to say it outright. Daniel had pointed out that there was possibly a reason why the universes kept throwing them together as though it was trying to succeed in some master plan and trying all potential combinations to get the outcome it desired.

Jack was starting to get a really bad headache trying to figure all this out.

"Sir, the Time Jumper is ready to go. Everything is tied down." Sam told him.

"Thanks Carter. Well campers, I guess it's time to shove off." Jack told Sam and Teal'c and headed towards the Time Jumper bay door.

Once they were settled, Jack, who was the only one who could work the controls, sat in the pilot chair and started entering coordinates. "We'll land near Essex, that should be Camulodunum AKA Camelot according to Merlin's map. Pick up the kid, ride to the other side of England, take a ferry to Dublin then ride to Clare to drop her off. We should be able to put in about fifty six to sixty four clicks a day on horseback so that's about eight days across England, another day or two to get to Ireland and about another five days through southern Ireland.

Assuming all goes well we should be home in two weeks give or take a day. If all goes FUBAR I'm recalling the Time Jumper, knocking her out with a Zat and kicking her out the hatch on our way home."

Sam nodded. "We better get a Shire for Teal'c."

"Yah. Something big and docile." Jack agreed. "Do Jaffa know how to ride horses?" Jack wondered.

"We're about to find out." She told him and had to resist the weirdest temptation to lean over his shoulder to examine the controls.

"Why do we not use the Time Jumper to deliver the girl directly?" Teal'c asked. It was a legitimate question.

"Well, we have to buy horses to look like real merchants. If we just leave them behind someone will notice and think something happened to her and it could be months before they find out she's fine. If we take the horses with us Merlin's Jumper is going to smell like a barn."

Sam chuckled. "Also we'd have to keep her sedated the entire time."

"Indeed." Teal'c said, seeming to have run out of argument.

"So does everyone know our back story then?"

Sam and Teal'c nodded. Teal'c would be using the back story that Jack had saved him from slavery so he'd sworn his life to him. Jack was a merchant from Rome who having sold all his goods on the way up was now acquiring trinkets to sell when he got back. They would buy horses outside of Camelot to back up their story. Jack was pretty good at haggling for things after years of dickering over planetary exchange rates. He also was a fair historian of the era, a fact that Sam found rather adorable much in the way she loved that he was an amateur astronomer. She wasn't as thrilled about her back story. Given the nature of sixth century society she'd be traveling as Jack's wife Lady Samantha of Crosica as she'd at least been there and could describe the island fairly well. The only up side is her habit of calling him Sir automatically in public wouldn't sound odd at all in this case. Jack wanted to avoid Sam being labeled a witch and had told her so.

As much as Sam wasn't big on faking being married to Jack she was less enthused about being labeled a witch. It was one thing to pull the that's my wife routine on a semi hostile planet for a couple days but they wouldn't be able to drop the act for a solid two weeks or more as once they had the girl with them they couldn't break character. They weren't young either of them, so they would have to come off as comfortably married not wary of each other newlyweds. Also if they had to sleep in the same bed to keep up pretense Jack was a cuddlier. Especially if the night was chilly. Not too bad when you have separate sleeping bags and you just woke up snuggled into his arms fully clothed with two heavy fluffy bags between you. Not so great when all you have on is your underthings and woke up to a warm leg between your own and him nuzzling your back. Very hard to maintain the whole oh no there's nothing going on between us sir SOP responses to your general when very clearly there was something going on besides a bit of flirtation.

She needed to end that line of thought before she started wiggling in her chair and one of the guys noticed. The worst part was Teal'c would never tell on them if they did give in to temptation on a mission together. He felt no obligation to inform anyone of anything that was considered private business in his estimation. Sam herself would probably cave and self report. It was one thing for them to engage in a bit of stress relief on their down time. It was another to be on duty and distracted by sex with your fellow officer. She glanced at Jack and frowned slightly. It didn't even seem to bother him.


	2. Long I Stood

_**AN: **__Totally lied. When I started Mac was only supposed to be mentioned but I found no way not to include him at the end. He doesn't appear while SG1 is in the past though. Please note this is part of the Fate series which makes Mac cannon for later stories in that story arc. Yah yah it's a little cheesy and silly but Sam jokes about the guy so many times in the show that come on… _

**Chapter 2 – Long I Stood**

Jack landed the Time Jumper in a clearing in a wood outside of Camulodunum. "Welcome to Lundien campers." Jack said semi gleefully. "Watch out for bears and lions."

"Bears?" Teal'c asked with an arched brow.

"Lions?" Sam asked incredulously

"Rich people bought them as pets then found out they were a bit more aggressive than predicted. Most of the time they die in the cold or someone hunts them down because they are terrorizing the villagers. There shouldn't be more than a couple if there are any but we are heading into central dumb rich people territory so it's worth mentioning."

Sam now wished she was going in wearing her vest and BDUs. Instead she'd have to put on a dress. She went to the storage area and got out the loose dress and veil she was expected to wear. At least the veil was only to cover her hair. She wasn't about to cover her face. Not after last time. She'd complained about the denim blue dress embroidered with some kind of wide flat cording twisted back and forth into a leafy vine motif and Jack had pointed out that those were just her town cloths. She would be traveling wearing a squire's tunic and hose for comfortable horse back riding that included a leather doublet that wouldn't stop a well aimed arrow but would at least be some center body mass protection. She had pointed out that no one was going to mistake her for a boy and Jack had given her a significant look then agreed.

Jack himself had on a pair of hose, laced leather boots and a loose belted embroidered doublet with a short cloak so he'd look relatively prosperous. Teal'c was dressed in gold and Blue as a Moorish warrior, his head wrapped into a turban and a long quilted tunic over a linen overhshirt in mustard yellow. His belt was crowded with weapons and bags. The turban hid his forehead well which was more or less the point and no one expected a moor to go around unarmed.

They looked pretty much in character. "Well m'lady, shall we depart our vessel?" Jack asked her grinning.

Sam huffed and picked up her skirts. "Yah. Let's get this over with."

Jack grinned. He wasn't about to tell her so but he was having fun. It was like LARPing your favorite or at least his favorite era. SCA on steroids. He'd packed extra protein bars though because the English had a terrible habit of boiling all their food to death and the further you went back in time the worse it got because acquiring spices became progressively more difficult not to mention they occasionally had odd ideas of what tasted good together. Everything not boiled was pickled, even the meat. Carter was going to hate the food.

"The town is about ten clicks north. We'll buy horses then ride to the once and future London which is just up the road." Jack told them. "Lady Carter, you have the most cumbersome outfit so you set the pace." He told Sam with a grin.

Sam fought the urge to stick her tongue out at Jack and marched forward. The skirt hampered her ability to take a full stride so she found herself taking shorter steps than her normally rangy stride. "This is ridiculous." She muttered to herself in frustration. At least the dusty road was wide enough that her clothing wasn't also catching on branches and having to be rescued from thorns also. That would just add insult to injury to this two hour cattle drive. Sam sighed.

"Problem Carter?" Jack asked her.

"Nothing I can't deal with Sir." She told him almost automatically as she struggled with her anger at not being able to take a normal stride.

"If your speed is bothering you we could have Teal'c carry you." Jack suggested trying not to grin.

Sam turned and glared balefully at her CO. "Do you think this is funny. Sir." Her last word was sharp. A clear warning that Jack was on extremely thin ice.

Jack was never one to heed the voice of caution though. "I was just trying to be helpful Carter." He said, lips twitching as he tried not to grin at her.

"Thank you. SIR. I'm fine." She huffed then turned back around and leaned forward slightly as though pulling a plow or in hopes that doing so would help her reach their destination sooner.

"I do not think it is wise to tease Major Carter at this time O'Neill" Teal'c told him helpfully.

"No one has ever accused me of being wise Teal'c."

"Indeed."

Sam tried very hard not to laugh. Sometimes Teal'c can be so delightfully dickish she thought as she plowed ahead in her overweight dress.

* * *

Sam was semi successful in bringing up the pace as she managed to shave a solid fifteen minuets off their estimated time. The outskirts of town had outworks set up but nothing particularly indicative of expecting an invasion so the three of them walked past to the city walls.

"Halt." A man dressed in chainmail and a grubby looking surcoat ordered from above the portcullis in the city wall. "What business have you here." He demanded.

Sam stopped short and opened her mouth. Before she could speak though Jack quickly spoke over her. "My wife, servant, and myself are but humble traders. We are on our way to Camulodunum and wish to stop and rest." Sam scowled at him and he placed a gentle hand on her arm, reminding her where they were.

"What is it that you trade merchant?"

"Oh a bit of everything. I'm afraid I've sold all me wares though. I was hoping to buy more for our return trip to Rome soon."

"It will soon be too cold to travel to Rome dressed as you are. You shall have a long stay in Camulodunum I think." The guard told them but waived them through into the small bustling town.

Jack kept his hand on her elbow now that they were in character. She looked up at him in annoyance but he shrugged and leaned towards her. "Even a lady would have her husband address the city guards. It's beneath her to speak to them."

"That's just silly."

"We don't want to stand out too much m'lady." He told her with a wink that she huffed at in annoyance. "Think of it as playing D&D only live action."

"I play an elvish mage when we play D&D." She reminded him.

"Switch it up." He grinned and led her to the market square, Teal'c following closely behind them.

"I don't see any horses for sale." Sam pointed out.

"Nope. We'll have to ask one of the merchants where the stables are." Jack agreed. I'm going to buy a couple things first though to keep up appearances. Is there anything you need?"

"Electricity." She said with an amused grin.

Jack laughed. "We'd have to go to Egypt for that one. Say do you know anything about embroidery"

"A little. My mom taught me as a kid but I haven't done any in a very long time."

"Would you be able to tell good quality from bad?"

"Probably. It's fabric and thread after all. Same principles as picking out clothing."

"Good. I was going to let you relax by the fountain with Teal'c but I think I'll drag you along instead."

"So I can pick out embroidery?"

"Because I enjoy your company wife and so you can choose supplies I can sell again later."

She blushed a little at him calling her wife even if it was in character to do so. "What if I want to use them myself?"

Jack gave her a thoughtful look. This was a side of Sam he'd never considered. "Do you?"

Sam was caught off guard as she'd been expecting a sarcastic quip or him to tease her. "I might." She admitted. She had liked embroidering as a child. It hadn't fit her tomboy image so she'd stopped shortly after her mother's death.

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "We'll buy more than you can use up yourself then." He told her as he took her hand and held it while he went from stall to stall examining products, dickering over prices and sometimes leaving if he didn't get the price he wanted for an item. When Teal'c started looking loaded down and had developed a long suffering frown Jack asked the vendor he was arguing with where he might buy some horses.

His victim which, Sam had come to see the helpless merchants of this small town as Jack's victims of his relentless haggling told him there was a trader on the south side of town that sold well trained geldings and mares for reasonable prices. Jack thanked the man, bargained down the price on the item he was looking at further and then they headed out the south entrance of the square.

The horse trader was as shrewd of a trader as Jack was and had driven a hard bargain for a gelding, a mare and a older charger who was no longer able to withstand the rigors of battle but would be perfectly fine as a riding and pack horse for a man of Teal'c's size. The trader had included saddles and tack with the purchase as they made it clear they were travelers and did not have any equipment left. Jack pulled some story abut having to sell their cart to pay for medical expenses out of his ass for that one. Clearly, Sam decided, the man had spent a lot of time in his head at one point figuring out how he'd handle being transported to sixth century England. It was kind of adorable.

As Jack got the horses saddled up and ready for travel Teal'c started distributing Jack's various acquisitions into the saddle packs on the horses. Everything was already wrapped for travel so he put things in as is and didn't worry about breakage or damage to any of the pieces as he packed.

They lead the horses to the South entrance and mounted. Sam struggled a bit until she hiked her skirt up past her knees and got properly seated. The trader had tried to sell her a side saddle and she'd flat out told Jack if he bought her a side saddle she was going to shove it up his ass. The trader had found this hilarious and gave them a discount on her saddle for her succinct opinion of riding in such control hampering manner.

Jack had then reassured her that she could change once they hit the privacy of the forest at which point the trader had offered the use of his tent to change into her riding cloths. Sam had thanked the man profusely unable to hide her glee at getting out of the movement hampering dress. Jack got a slipper thrown at him through the tent flap for asking if he could help her change. The trader head laughed until he cried and told Jack his wife was a spitfire. Jack had agreed wholeheartedly.


	3. As Just as Fair

**_AN: _**_I know the place names might be a bit difficult to follow as it's not how we know them now. __Camulodunum is the same place London is now mostly. I left the people names that Mac interacted with the way they were for continuity but everything else I've tried to keep accurate for 6th century England and Ireland. Also Jack really can do a terrible Irish accent imitation so it's utterly in keeping that he'd quote Indy here._

**Chapter 3 – As Just as Fair**

The trip to Camulodunum was considerably shorter on horse back once Jack had adjusted everyone's stirrups to their comfort. Sam had a bay mare that had a mind of her own. Jack's chestnut gelding was a docile gentleman of middle years. Teal's appaloosa shire was as sweet natured as could be and Sam had taken to him immediately. It was pretty clear the dappled grey fellow adored her back. Especially as she kept giving him pieces of protein bars.

"Sam, you're going to give him a stomach ache." Jack told her.

"It's just peanut butter and whey powder. He's fine. Aren't you baby." She said more to the horse than Jack.

"He's going to get the trots Carter."

"Do horses not already trot?" Teal'c asked. He was reasonably comfortable in the saddle though inexperienced.

"The trots, Teal'c, means he's going to get diarrhea." Jack told him.

"That sounds most unpleasant. Major Carter, please do not feed my horse."

"Fine." She huffed and spurred her horse slightly forward to ride along side Jack. "This sucks sir." She grumbled.

"Duly noted Major." He told her. His voice gentle and his expression amused. "I know you miss your doohickeys."

"I just feel so useless." She admitted finally after a few minutes.

"Carter you are never useless. Bored out of your skull sometimes but never useless."

"Thank you sir." She told him with a small smile.

"Besides, as soon as we pick up the kid your job will be to keep her out of trouble."

"It's a good thing I actually like babysitting bored teenagers." Sam admitted.

"Well, you have practice at it. Hopefully she's not too moody."

"Nothing I'm not used to." Sam said blandly. Cassie was becoming a regular crabby pants lately. Sam had taken to just picking things to do since she got very little feedback from the girl on what she'd actually enjoy. Hopefully she'd grow out of it.

Jack nodded. Their goddaughter was acting like a bit of an afternoon special plot device lately. She'd grow out of it once she realized it wasn't getting her what she wanted he hoped.

"I'm going to try to avoid putting you in a position that you are by yourself even in the castle. I'm going to tell our hosts Teal'c is your personal body guard and he's ordered not to let you out of his sight except for bathroom breaks and he's to stand outside the door for those." Jack admitted to her. It hadn't come up recently but this was a situation that they would likely be separated based on job duty and the last thing he wanted was for Sam to have to beat the crap out of another dumb male that thought she was property. It was likely the men of this era would respect that she was married according to their story but there was always that one guy. No one was going to lay a hand on her with a giant Berber looking guard.

Sam looked at him thoughtfully. Some of his reason was security related but she got the strong impression a lot of his reason was personal. He couldn't still feel guilty over what happened on Simarka could he? The set of his jaw suggested he did. She reached over and patted his hand affectionately. "Thank you sir." She told him softly. A half smile quirking her face. "I know you'll be less worried if you know I'm safe."

Jack gave her the side eye for reading him that easily. "Yah, well, rescuing you cuts into the game plan and I don't want Daniel to mess up my VCR recording an extra week of the Simpsons for me."

"I got you a DVR for Christmas. Why aren't you using it?" she demanded.

"It's too complicated looking and what's the difference between DVR+ and DVR- anyways? Makes no sense but if I buy the wrong one it won't record." He huffed.

"I bought you an entire spool of discs and formatted them for you too. How much do you plan to record?" Why does he act so helpless. She knows he knows how to work the stupid thing. Suddenly she realized he only did it so she'd come over and hang out with him. Sam chuckled and shook her head.

"What's so funny?" Jack asked her in an injured tone.

"You are sir." She admitted and spurred her bored mare forward.

They rode for half an hour in silence until they reached the edge of the forest. Camulodunum sprawled ahead of them. The architecture was heavily influenced by Greco/Roman and there was a fair portion of middle eastern influence as well. It was the oldest known city of England and would later become London. None of the current buildings would survive the London fire hundreds of years later. The couple of churches that made it weren't even remotely recognizable. The London wall looked considerably better though. Jack pulled up his horse and the three of them looked at the thickly walled city.

"All right campers, from here out we don't break character." He gave Sam a significant look.

"What?" Sam asked him.

"Oh nothing…" Jack said with his most innocent expression.

She glared.

"See. That. That right there." Jack said pointing at her.

Sam huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. I'll be sweet and lovely."

"There's my beautiful wife." He told her grinning.

"I will hurt you." She said warningly.

Jack put his hand over his heart. "My lady, you already wound me." He said dramatically.

Sam couldn't help it. She laughed.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Jack had emphasized the word 'my' a bit more than was strictly necessary. Neither of them were paying any attention to him though. They were too busy staring into each other's eyes.

"Should we not enter the city O'Neill." He finally prompted them once he tired of them staring at each other.

"Right." Jack said and spurred his horse forward.

They reached the massive open portcullis which was guarded by archers and a pair of chain mailed guards in white surcoats with large red lions on them. "Ho there travelers. What brings you to fair Camulodunum?" the guard on the right asked them.

"Jack moved his horse to the front "We are but simple merchants from Rome wishing to purchase trade items to take back to my country for sale." Jack told them.

"Why is your woman dressed in armor?" the guard on the left asked.

"These are troubling times goodman. I fear for my wife's safety on the road."

"Indeed they are m'lord. Safe travels." The guard on the right told them and waved them through.

"How is it you knew times were troubling O'Neill?"

"It's sixth century England T. Of course times are troubling."

"Indeed."

Sam rolled her eyes in amusement. "So which way to the castle?" She asked Jack.

"This way m'lady." He said and rode forward. Teal'c brought up the rear.

The got a few looks or rather Teal'c got a few looks. Sam got quite a few second looks that thankfully Jack didn't see.

They had a letter to deliver from Merlin to Gwalchmei should he and Arthur not return from their mission which as the legends go, he would not be nor would Arthur. Jack needed to impress on the knight that his king might really not return. Excalibur needed to be returned to Epona so she could give it to the next champion. Jack wasn't so sure he trusted random maidens delivering water logged cutlery but it was what it was and who was he to argue about history with a guy who lived it. The only maiden that mattered to him was riding behind him on a mare with as bad of an attitude as her rider. He was a really big fan of her bad attitude though. Smart mouthed rude candy coated in polite and deliciously snarky.

He really needed to get control of these trains of thought or he wasn't going to be able to get off his horse ever again.

Sam pulled her horse abreast with Jack's. "So we deliver the letter then loiter until they need a volunteer?"

"That's about the gist of it. If we get lucky they feed us."

"You know the English boil everything right?" she asked him pointedly.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice. The deserts are pretty good. Lots of honey, almonds, apples and sweet milk." He nodded thoughtfully to himself. "Should be some cinnamon."

Sam laughed at him. Jack could live on deserts. "Hopefully the food won't be too bad."

"It will be bland and a little weird like peacock tongue and eel pie but edible."

"That's your definition of edible?"

"Eel isn't too bad if you put enough salt on it." He said with a shrug.

"You'll eat anything won't you?" she asked him incredulously.

"My mom was a terrible cook. You learned to add salt or catsup."

Sam chuckled. "It didn't stunt your growth any."

"No. No it did not." He said with a smirk and an eye wiggle that made Sam blush.

They had reached Tintagel castle. It was a squat ugly grey thing built for survival not beauty on a rocky peninsula. It was well fortified should the walls of Camulodunum fail or brigands sneak through in small unnoticed groups. Objectively Jack and Sam were satisfied with the fortifications. They could sleep easy the next night or two before they left for Ireland.

Tintagel didn't have a draw bridge. It had a stone bridge across the deep cut from the main land to the castle. It was wide enough for two carts to pass one another. It was easy to bottleneck attackers on the bridge or better yet, launch burning pitch and let the rocks below take care of the problem. Battlements faced outwards on all sides and wood archers stands peppered the top of the structure.

Jack had to show the guard the letter had Merlin's seal on it before they were allowed to cross the bridge to the castle. They were directed to the massive courtyard where young boys were training with wood swords with older knights past their prime. Jack decided it wasn't the worst way to retire.

A voice yelled across the courtyard. "Lord M'Iver you were not expected until the morrow." The middle aged man who hurried towards them was dressed in the bright clothing of an entertainer. Hs stopped short. "Aye ye are not the lord M'Iver sir but you bare an uncanny likeness."

Jack got off his horse and helped Sam down as well. "No, I'm Jack of the Windy City with a letter for Sir Gwalchmei from Merlin."

Sam dusted herself off and the gaudily dressed man looked at her in some shock. "Thou art as lovely as the lady Gwen herself in her fair youth." He said with awe.

"Sir." Sam said to Jack.

"Easy m'lady. He means no disrespect." Jack told her, a hand on her elbow.

"Ye say you have a letter for Sir Gwalchmei m'lord?"

"Yup. Merlin sent us. It's rather urgent actually." Jack took off his hat and beat the road dust off it before cramming it back on his head.

"Has thou recently left a monastery m'lord?"

"No. Why?"

"Thy hair is so short sire."

"Yah. What's your point." Jack asked him pointedly and Sam elbowed him in his side.

"What?" he asked her dropping character for a second before remembering himself. "My apologies. My love has indicated I'm being rude. It is common for men of my country to keep their hair short." He explained as Sam blushed at his use of words.

She really wished he'd stop doing that. "Is Sir Gwalchmei available to speak to sir?"

"Sir? Oh ho ho. M'lady honors me. I am but a humble balladeer and of no consequence but I will take you to the great hall. Sir Gwalchmei is holding court though you will have to wait until after the petitioners.

"Petitioners?" Sam asked.

"Criminals." Jack supplied.

"Ah." She answered and smiled engagingly at the middle aged minstrel.

The man fumbled for words at her smile and Jack smirked in amusement. It had taken him years to build an immunity to that smile. Oh who was he kidding. He melted into a warm puddle of squishiness when she smiled at him like that. He just hid it behind his colonel face. He also suspected she knew it was an act.

"This way Sire." The minstrel finally told Jack and lead the way to the castle entrance. "Gabe! Gabe! Come hither you lazy lad!" he bellowed.

"Yes master?"

"See to this trader's mounts. They bring news for our liege from the Merlin."

"Yes master!" The gangly boy said and called over another stable boy to handle the third horse.

"Be careful of that one." Jack told the kid of Sam's mount. "Much as her mistress, she bites."

The boys laughed at Jack's joke but Sam's horse nickered and tried to chomp one of them on the arm.

"You guys thought I was kidding." He said with a grin and walked over to the moody mare. He stroked her face and muttered something into her ear and she nuzzled his hand then behaved herself.

As they walked to the entrance of the great hall Sam leaned in to Jack. "What did you say to my horse?"

"I told her she's beautiful and I love her spirit but if she wants me to bring her apples after we get done she needed to be nice to the stable hands."

Behind them Teal'c laughed.

"What's so funny she asked him."

"O'Neill has used a similar technique on you Samantha Carter." He said still laughing.

Sam's eyes went very wide then narrowed.

"Well that trick won't work any more." Jack muttered and Teal'c laughed even harder.

"You're sleeping on the floor tonight." She told Jack with a huff.

Jack laughed and hugged her. "Would you feel better if you bit me again?"

"I might." She told him frowning.

Jack stopped walking and turned her in his arms and tilted her face up to look in her eyes. He held her face gently and stroked her cheek with his thumb before sliding his fingers into her hair "Twas only a jest my lady." He said, emphasizing the word _my_ and the warm look in his eyes melted her anger. At least for now.

She leaned into his hand. "All right, you're forgiven." She said softly.

"I would never say hurtful things to you in earnest my lady." He said softly, his eyes drawn to her soft lips.

He had though, once, but he'd been under orders to make it look real. He'd hoped the incredible cruelty of his comment would make her realize it wasn't something he'd have ever said to her, that she knew him well enough to know better, but he'd also not thanked her for rescuing him prior to his unkind words and it had taken longer than he intended to heal the rift he'd caused with his callousness. When he had, he'd vowed to her that he'd rather shave his head bald then hurt her again. A silly vow but Jack was pretty vain about his hair.

Sam leaned forward and kissed him gently. "It's ok Jack." She told him again and smiled. This time the smile met her eyes and he nodded then slid his hand from her hair back to her cheek.

This was going to play hell on their 'normal'. They didn't get to openly show their feelings and here they were pretending. Except neither was pretending which was why her emotions were all over the place right now. He knew how hard this was on her but he didn't know any other way to pull this off. They wouldn't be able to maintain acting like a couple that dislikes each other after all and it was never safe to be an unattached woman.

Jack sighed. "I will make this up to you." He told her.

She nodded against his hand and moved away.

"Lead on MacDuff" he told the balladeer.

"Er… m'lord, beg yer pardon but the name is Dod, Dod Ua'Boru of Limerick Eriu." He sang as much as he said and his accent thickened as he said his name. He again headed towards the castle entrance.

"Nice to meet yah Dod." Jack told him with a grin. He turned to Sam and told her softly "In about three hundred years his family is going to conquer Ireland... with the exception of my family." He said the last smugly.

"Do you suppose that has something to do with us?" She answered him just as softly.

"It could. The Irish have long memories."

"Tell me about it." She told him with an eyeroll.

"Hey I also remember your birthday and that you like peanut butter cups frozen." He told her in an injured tone but his eyes were twinkling.

"Is that why you always have some in your freezer?"

"And some of that weird girly beer you like." He agreed.

She punched him lightly in the arm and he laughed. "My lady wounds me again." He said dramatically to make her laugh.

Dod lead them into the great hall that had a low buzz of noise. "There are some chairs off to the side though mayhap you would wish to get cleaned up and dressed more seemly?" Dod looked at Sam's clothing and blushed a bit.

"No. We're fine." Jack told him. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"I shall secure you an audience then." Dod told them and left.

Teal'c who had been silently walking behind hem looked around at the castle in interest. "Pretty cool huh T?" Jack asked him.

"Why are there blankets on the walls O'Neill?"

"Tapestries." Jack told him with a thick brogue "We call em tapestries." Which made Sam snort trying to stop a giggle. "Aye, ye can giggle all ye like now lassie." He told her which just made her laugh until she cried.


	4. Perhaps the Better Claim

**Chapter 4 – Perhaps the Better Claim**

Gwalchmei looked about as bored as Jack felt during one of Daniel's long involved descriptions of a rock he found. Jack felt immediate kinship and sympathy with the man.

The petitioner in front of him was trying to prove that he in fact, was not, in fact, a sheep rustler. His witnesses to his character looked about as morally upstanding as he did. Each fabrication about the man's good character more outlandish than the next.

Gwalchmei finally cut off a seedy looking old woman. "Trial by bread. Next." He ordered and waived the thief off.

A page leaned forward and whispered in his ear urgently. "Merlin? Are you certain?" he looked around the room until he spotted Jack Sam and Teal'c. "Bring them forth immediately." He ordered gesturing them forward.

Dod ushered them to the throne and bowed. Jack took the hint and bowed with him as did Teal'c. Sam gave an awkward unpracticed curtsy. "My lord, I present to you the trader Jack of the Windy City."

"Ah! Goodman Dod! You have served my uncle faithfully many years. I should have known it would be you that would bring me his messengers." Gwalchmei told the singer.

"Alas my Lord it was but a mere accident that I came across them outside the castle looking for you speaking of Merlin. Tis but providence not skill of my own."

"You are far too humble for your profession my friend. Tell me, what news have you of the mighty Merlin?"

Jack fished around in his tunic for a moment until he found the pocket he'd hidden the rolled letter from Merlin in. "It might be best if you read this in private Highness." Jack told him as he handed it over.

Gwalchmei looked at Jack's expression and nodded. "Do I know you? Your face is quite familiar."

"He's the image of Angus M'Iver my Lord." Dod interjected

"Are you related then my friend?" Gwalchmei asked him. It seemed the brown haired man called everyone my friend.

"Not yet sir." Jack told him with a smile.

"Ah." He laughed getting the joke. "With time all the houses will likely be related in some way. Perhaps then we shall have peace in our fair kingdom." He told Jack wistfully.

Jack had found himself a kindred spirit. "It's worth hoping for Sire." He agreed with a nod.

"Come, let us retire that I might read this missive. I suspect you have additional information not safe to put in writing traveler."

Jack nodded and Gwalchmei led them out of the great hall through a door behind the throne. They walked across a hall and entered an ornate state room. "My uncle's wife had expensive taste before she joined a convent." Gwalchmei told them. The room was richly appointed with heavy ornate tapestries and gold leaf. He didn't sound like he especially approved of her taste or her for that matter. "Please, sit. You must be weary." He told them and waved at a small group of chairs with cushions and a rail across two sides coming to a rounded point on one corner.

Jack and Sam both took a seat in one of the odd chairs and Teal'c stood behind them. "I prefer to stand." He announced.

Gwalchmei nodded. The Berber was making his guards nervous and he made a small motion with his hands that they should relax. The large man clearly was their guard and only a threat if someone were to attempt to harm the trader or more likely his rather lovely wife. Were his wife that beautiful he'd have a personal guard for her as well.

" Let's see then." Gwalchmei split the seal on the letter and unfurled it. After a long moment he frowned. "This cannot be." He said in dejection. "Merlin has always spoken true but this cannot be." Gwalchmei sat down heavily in one of the delicate chairs.

"I'm sorry sir. We spoke to him directly. If Arthur does not survive the battle which how would he against his own son in his current condition, Excalibur must be returned to the Tuatha Dé Danann for safe keeping."

"All has gone to rot. If only Galahad were here but he seeks the grail. He should not have met with that snake of a son without his champion." He shook his head. "I apologize my friends, surely you must be tired and hungry after your long journey, m'lady, please, my wife Florie will take you to get clean and dressed. Sirs, my page can take you to the bath houses to clean up yourselves. If you require clean clothing let him know and ye shall have it. It is the least I can do for such important messengers."

"Yah, about that. With all due respect, the lady stays with one of us at all times sir."

"Oh. Oh yes. How foolish of me. I do understand. Truly. This is an unfamiliar castle to all of you. She will come to no harm here at Tintagel so long as I preside over my uncle's keep. I swear it to you."

Jack looked thoughtful then slowly nodded. Gwalchmei was later known as Sir Gawain, who's entire legend was about protecting peasants and women from harm. "Are you comfortable joining the women by yourself my love?" he asked Sam.

She hated when he did that, It made her heart pound in her chest and feel unreasonably warm inside. Plus it made her blush which she promptly did. She nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"Good, then it is settled. Eunice, fetch Lady Florie and her attendants. She will know what our traveler needs more than I. Sirs, please follow Bede to the bath houses. A Page will appoint you rooms to stay in until you continue on your way. Where are you headed next?"

"We think on to south west Eire first Sire." Jack told their host.

Gwalchmei thought for some time. I may have a request of you then. A young lady of this court is to be wed to a ship's captain in that region. We hope to cement relations with the Hibernians. There have been some conflicts I'd like to put an end to and a man generally prefers not to make war upon his in-laws. Gwalchmei laughed. "It helps though that lady Eilid is a lovely lass and Captain Máel is quite comely himself. They have both agreed to the arrangement readily."

"There is more to a marriage than looks." Sam said with a scowl.

"Indeed m'lady is correct. I would never force marriage upon a girl who is not willing nor interested in the groom no matter how advantageous to the kingdom it might be. Captain Máel is a charming lad who has clearly fallen under the spell of her own charms."

Jack muttered something about prepositions under his breath and Sam rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh.

"She agreed herself then?"

"Why of course. In fact, she should be at court within a day's time with any luck. You shall meet her yourself and may ask her."

A raven haired woman of late middle years entered the state room. "You have need of me husband?" she asked in a warm rich voice.

"Ah yes, Jack of the Windy City, this is my beautiful bride Florie." He introduced the woman.

"Bride." She laughed. "We've grown children and a grandchild as well."

"We were wed quite young." Gwalchmei admitted. "The lady, oh my, how rude of me my dear I never asked your name." the regent looked embarrassed.

"He gets talking and forgets details." Florie told Sam.

"I have a friend just like him." Sam admitted with a smile. "My name is Samantha but you can call me Sam if you prefer."

"What a lovely name Samantha. I am Florie, wife of this lout of a man." She said laughing.

Sam grinned. She liked Florie already. "This is my husband Jack and our manservant Teal'c." Sam introduced the woman to her companions.

"My, what a tall handsome lad you are." Florie told Teal'c who raised an eyebrow in amusement. She curtsied to Jack. Greetings Jack of the Windy City, I am Florie of Lys."

Jack nodded and smiled at the pretty brunette. "Thank you for your hospitality my Lady." He told her politely

"Is he always this charming?"

"Almost never." Sam admitted and Florie laughed when Jack narrowed his eyes even as his mouth twitched with amusement.

Florie lead Sam from the room "Come along then Samantha, my ladies will get you cleaned up and presentable for supper. I'm currently chatelaine of this castle with Lady Gwenhwyfar having cloistered herself."

"You don't sound like you liked her very much."

Florie sighed. "It's that noticeable is it? No. I did not care over much for my queen but she was my king's chosen consort and so we made do. She was not particularly liked overall if you want my frank opinion. A silly vain woman with a wandering eye. No better than a man on gadabout but not enough sense to do it somewhere besides under her husband's nose."

"That's…" Sam floundered

Florie nodded vigorously. I suspect Arthur hoped it would give him a son as he seemed unable to get her with child himself but clearly she was simply barren. As well she was. Lovely though she was, her children would have been fools." The dark haired woman told Sam. "Arthur was too good a man to set her aside for another wife and that is a pity. It gave Medraut a claim on the throne he should not have had given his method of conception."

"What do you mean?"

"Tis a sad tale indeed. Arthur knew not his parents and met a lass in his travels who he willingly bed and planned to bring to Camulodunum then divorce his barren wife Gwenhwyfar. Before they could make plans however it was revealed they were siblings of the same mother and the engagement was called off. She was wed quickly after when it was found she was with child. Lot cared not that his eldest was not his birth child as he had many bastards of his own already. The boy was fostered in Agravain's keep and he's as traitorous as a snake. He convinced the boy to overthrow his father rather than become king at his appointed time." Florie was flushed with anger. "The boy was twisted against his own parents who were as much victims of this as the boy himself was. Arthur came back to court after he was forced to leave Medraut behind and strictly instructed all knights to inform any fosterlings _exactly_ who their parents were when they came of age lest another be victimized by such a tradition. Imagine finding the woman you love was your own sister. An utter tragedy if you ask me."

"That's terrible. They weren't telling these kids who their parents were?"

"Almost never unless you were destine to be king. It kept the peace and kept children from receiving special privilege over one another but it has caused a great tragedy as well. Arthur loves his sister to this day as she does him. They have never laid hands on each other since however as now they know their love cannot be."

Sam nodded and was very glad her problem was legal not genetic but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the pair as they faced a similar tragic situation.

"We've come to my chambers. Arthur gave them to me after his wife left. He told me I had earned them serving her these many long years." Her expression was sad. Clearly Arthur had known his wife was a difficult mistress. "Come. Let us get your bathed and dressed lady Samantha."

"Oh I'm not a lady…" Sam tried to tell her.

"Perhaps my husband shall knight yours and then you shall be." Florie said with a laugh.

"Oh I bet he'd like that a lot. Probably not as much as Arthur knighting him but yah, he'd be a big fan."

"A big fan?"

"It's an expression. It means he'd very much enjoy it."

"I see." Florie smiled in a way that suggested she probably didn't but was being polite. "Laudine, Iseult, please help lady Samantha to wash up. Evaine and I shall modify that peacock gown we were making. She's quite tall but a decorative hem should hide it's original intent."

"Yes my Lady." One of them said and motioned for Sam to follow her to the baths. Come m'lady. The servants warmed the water early today so you shall have a warm bath in fresh water." The other woman told her as she took off Sam's floppy men's hat and gasped in shock. "I had thought it simply bound."

"Who has shorn your beautiful locks m'lady?" the other asked her, eyes bright with sudden tears.

"What? Oh. No, it's been that way."

"But... why? Your hair is glorious!" The first woman told her.

"Er… I've been ill." Sam made up on the spot vaguely remembering something about well meaning doctors cutting off women's hair during long illnesses.

"You poor dear. No wonder thou art so thin. Now that you are well you shall put on a bit of weight. Have you any children?"

"Um, well no." Sam admitted.

"The curse of a woman who's husband travels over much. Perhaps traveling with him now you shall be blessed with one."

Sam blushed. "Perhaps."

They giggled. "Thou art a modest maid for one of over two score. That won't last overlong here. We speak often of such things in our free time." She helped Sam out of the leather vest that Jack had laced tightly for her.

"Your husband is quite handsome. He will give you beautiful sons." One of the women said. "He reminds me much of Angus M'Iver. Are they of a relation?"

"You know, I'm not sure." Sam said untruthfully. The guy couldn't look _that_ much like Jack could he? "I suppose it's theoretically possible." The last time she'd used that turn of phrase about Jack had been in regards to their first experience with the quantum mirror. Sam narrowed her eyes in thought. Why DID the universe seem convinced they belonged with each other. She tried not to examine her feelings for him too much. Knowing things for sure would make things worse not better right now. She knew though. She knew by the way he looks at her. She knew by the way her heart hammers in her chest when he says her name.

The universe was an unfair mistress to dangle the man's love for her in her face like this daily and waggle her finger at her that she couldn't have him. Stupid war. She'd have transferred teams years ago if it wasn't for the Gao'uld. Knowing he needed her in the field to watch his six was why and the reason for that was the Goa'uld. And they would not have met either. She had been called back to Washington when he was called out to Colorado for the first mission. He'd still been married then, though by his account even if Sara had not left when she did the marriage had failed already. Sam had been dealing with the fallout of her failed engagement too. She wondered had they met then if they would have fallen in bed together out of mutual pity. She realized if they had, the relationship would have suffered for it. Jack would have felt guilty and she wasn't ready for normal at all.

So Sam took her bath and one of the women rubbed her back with attar of rose until she smelled like a flower shop and helped her into soft linen underthings while she waited for Florie to finish hemming this dress they expected her to wear.

The blond woman, Iseuld, was lacing up her panties in the back. "How have you come by these scars Samantha. That was a severe whipping."

Sam shrugged. "A boy kidnapped me to trade me for his beloved." She'd almost said girlfriend but remembered where she was. "The father of the girl didn't like that I wouldn't submit to his will."

"How did you escape?"

"Ja… er, my husband bought me back." Sam really hated how that sounded. She'd curb stomped Turghan though and smiled wickedly.

"A husband should not have to buy his own wife back." Iseuld tutted.

"We weren't married at the time." Which was true. Of course they weren't married now either but that wasn't the point.

"He purchased you knowing what men do to women prisoners?" she asked surprised.

"Jack knows I'd never just submit and he wouldn't care in either case. He's never questioned my virtue or loyalty to him."

She looked at Sam somewhat amazed. "A man who loves a woman regardless is one to stay beside." She agreed. "Sir Gwalchmei is like that as well. He well and truly loves Florie. I've not known many men who display such devotion to their wife. I believe he gets it from his father who married his mother knowing Gwalchmei was not his own child."

Sam nodded. In the era they were in, a man being devoted enough to marry a woman pregnant with another man's child was fairly rare. "Tell me about Eilid." She said to the older blond woman.

"A fair child. Very sweet natured when she's not causing trouble."

"Causing trouble?"

"She likes to play pranks and is outspoken for her age."

"Aren't most girls outspoken at that age?"

"Oh yes but Eilid is… aggressively so."

Sam chuckled. "I think she and I will be fine then. Jack tells me often that I'm a bit more outspoken than usual."

Iseuld chuckled. "Methinks he finds it an endearing trait."

Sam grinned. "He does."

"If the two of you are done extolling the virtues of lady Samantha's husband we should get her dressed." Laudine, the tall slender red head said. Iseuld made a face at her behind her back as she walked away.

"Lady Laudine's husband Yvain is mad. She took him back but he's still…"

"Wacko?" Sam supplied.

"Ay. Wacko." Iseuld agreed and laughed.

"Jack is a little wacko himself." Sam admitted with a giggle.

"Does he know?"

"Oh he admits it. It gets worse if you make him sit still for a long time."

"Is that why he's a traveling trader?"

"Something like that." Sam agreed. He probably did enjoy the traveling because it kept him busy. The man had to have something to fiddle with at all times or he got insufferable.

"Ah, Samantha, do you feel better?" Florie said then looked at her hair. She pursed her lips then diplomatically said "A veil will hide the damage. At least it was cut evenly. It's fetching really."

Sam smiled. If she and Gwenhwyfar had not gotten along it was through no fault of Florie who clearly was horrified by Sam's shorn locks yet kind enough to try to complement her regardless.

"Come, lets get you dressed. Iseuld, the smock if you please. Laudine dear, is the kirtle ready?"

"Yes my Lady."

"Good. Evaine bring the green silk Girdle, it will match the embroidery on the kirtle. I think a simple wimple with a coronate to make her hair look like a fringe rather than shorn."

Sam put up with them dressing her as she had no idea how put any of it on at all. She looked at the silk kirtle though and the heavy embroidered trim. "Oh. Don't you think it's a bit.. er…"

"Hm, perhaps. We started it for Gwenhwyfar but she has no need of it now and I dare say it's far more fetching on you than it would have been on her anyways. Thy eyes are not vacant of thought as hers were." Florie told Sam and the other women nodded in agreement. "We'll take you to your husband now and see you at supper. I'll send one of the ladies in waiting to help you out of your dress tonight and bring you some daytime court clothing."

"Thank you Florie. I appreciate all your help." Sam told her sincerely.

"It was no trouble dear. I very much enjoyed your company this afternoon."

"I enjoyed yours too." Sam told her as Florie took her hand and squeezed it.

"Now then, to see your darling husband." Florie told Sam with amusement.

"I already know the dress is going to do it for him." Sam told her. "He's got a thing for blue silk." And he did. It didn't matter what the style was. He'd been just as enamored of the pale blue shift she'd worn for a steak dinner they had together a month ago as he had of the vintage Mongolian style. It was the color. Blue did it for him. Or at least blue on her.

"Excellent. You have on at least four different shades of it already. Shall we?" Florie said with a grin. Sam grinned back and the page opened the door to the room assigned to her and Jack. He and Teal'c were playing chess together until they heard the door.

"Doesn't anyone knock in this place?" Jack groused as he looked up and his eyes widened. A wide smile spread across his face. "Hi." He said grinning at her.

"I told you." Sam told Florie.

"Indeed. He is most enamored."

"Samantha Carter, you look lovely." Teal'c told her.

"Thank you Teal'c" she said with a grin. She walked towards Jack and stood in front of him smirking. "So you like the dress."

"Oh yah. I like the dress." He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"I'll be going now." Florie said laughing and left.

"Wow." Jack finally said.


	5. Really About the Same

**Chapter 5 – Really About the Same**

Dinner was involved and boring. Jack, Sam and Teal'c were seated with the lords and ladies as honored guests. Their clothing blended in fairly well as the other knights had loaned them clean clothing. Teal'c for obvious reasons left his turban on. Because they didn't want anyone to notice them, they spent their time listening more than talking. Sam had filled him in on the fact that none of the ladies had liked the queen particularly and one of the knights was nuttier than a fruitcake. There were long pauses during the meal between courses so Jack started playing with the hem of her sleeve.

"Stop that." She admonished him.

"Stop what." He said stroking the fabric up to her elbow.

"Jack. Stop it." She didn't quite glare but she made it clear his fiddling with her clothing wasn't just annoying her.

"Oh. Um. Sorry." But he didn't look very sorry and he didn't stop fiddling with her sleeve. When the page came by with the flagon Sam put her hand over Jack's cup. Jack glared. Sam glared back. "I'm not drunk Sam." He insisted.

"Could have fooled me." She countered.

"I'm just bored Sam, not drunk."

"And I know how you get when you're both."

Jack wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Sam giggled "This is not an appropriate place_ dear_."

"Oh I think this is an entirely appropriate place."

"O'Neill we are on a mission." Teal'c reminded him

Jack muttered something that sounded like crap. "The mission. Right."

* * *

Three days passed before Angus M'Iver rolled into court with his daughter Eilid who had a wild crown of light brown curls and a set to her jaw that would be an O'Neill hallmark in a few hundred years. Sam who had been sitting on the green burm with the other ladies watched the wagons approach and her mouth dropped open. Angus M'Iver was the spitting image of Jack. Iseuld nudged her. "Uncanny is it not?"

"Talk about a family resemblance." Sam breathed.

"I thought you said they weren't related."

"I didn't believe they really were until now." Sam admitted. "I should probably go tell Jack they are here. Sir Gwalchmei asked that we take her to Eire."

"You have time. They will want to get settled. I suspect the wagons are her dowry."

"Those are going to take much longer than two weeks, er, a fortnight to get across country with." Sam said wearily.

"Aye. If ye hit mud or break an axel it could add several days." Iseuld told her.

"Holy Hannah that's a lot of luggage." Sam sighed.

"Is it matched luggage?" Jack joked as he came up behind them then looked up at what the women were watching. "That's a lot of luggage. I hope some of it is his."

"Methinks not." Florie told him. "Well met Jack of the Windy City." She greeted him.

"Well met my Lady Florie." He told her with a smile. Jack genuinely liked her but he supposed that had a lot to do with her having a similar personality to Sam's. "I would sit but Sir Gwalchmei asked I return as soon as I've greeted our charges.

Taliesin came up to them and sat on the spread blankets. "The lady Eilid returns once more, Sir Jack shall see his face afore." He quipped in a lilting tune and the maids giggled.

"Dod I'm not a knight." Jack reminded him.

"It doesn't rhyme otherwise." Dod shrugged. Taliesin apparently was his stage name which he used for official functions but preferred using his given name when not on the job.

Jack shook his head. "He doesn't look _that_ much like me." He insisted.

Sam threw a mushroom cap that bopped him in the jaw as he wasn't expecting it. "He's your twin." She told him flatly.

Jack pondered several reactions ranging from throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her off to throwing something at her and settled on giving her the Colonel scowl TM. Patent pending. Sam giggled at him. Dammit when had that stopped working on her.

A lithe teen however was bounding towards the ladies of the castle. "Mother Florie! Iseuld! Oh how I've missed you and I only have a couple days at most." She launched herself at the women. After many hugs and kisses she turned to look at Sam. "And who is this lovely creature?" she asked Florie.

"This," Lady Florie told Eilid, "Is Samantha of Crosica and her delightfully amusing husband, the merchant Jack of the Windy City." Florie looked smug as she knew Eilid would react the same way Sam had.

Eilid looked up at Jack and her jaw dropped.

"What." Jack said, looking exasperated.

"You look like my da!"

"Well you look a bit like my grandma." Jack admitted.

Sam threw another mushroom at him.

"What? She does. Same hair and everything."

"Lady Eilid, Sir Gwalchmei has asked Jack and I to accompany you to Eire to be wed." Sam told her.

"Well, and T." Jack said.

"Tea?"

Jack turned towards the lists and bellowed. "Teal'c! Kree!"

The huge Jaffa bowed at his combatant and excused himself to jog up to where Jack stood. "You have need of me O'Neill?"

"Lady Eilid, this is Teal'c, my servant."

Eilid looked at Teal'c in shock. "I was concerned that only one knight would not be sufficient to protect my belongings yet clearly I was wrong." She breathed.

Jack grinned. "He's pretty good in a fight."

A young knight they had gotten to know jogged up. "Sir Jack jests. Teal'c is superior in a fight. I cannot best him." The piebald skinned young knight stated

"Feirefiz! Is Parzival at court as well?" Eild asked excitedly.

"Nay my Lady, he journeys with Arthur to track Lancelin down."

"Oh he should just let him go now that his fool of a wife has cloistered herself."

"Lady Eilid!" Feirefiz admonished her. "Know your place."

She waved her hand dismissively. "What difference does my place make. I only speak the truth."

Sam bit her lower lip. Iseuld had not been kidding. Eilid speaks her mind and isn't shy about being blunt. She'd fit in just fine and frankly now Sam knew who Jack got his attitude from.

Sir M'Iver finally made his way to the group of people his daughter had run off to. "Daughter, I have seen to your household. Perhaps you could join me in paying our respects to our Steward?" He bowed to the women. "My apologies ladies." And then he got a good look at Jack. "By the gods…"

Jack in turn looked at the man suspiciously.

"Ye look like my da!" Angus finally exclaimed.

"You look like my grandpa." Jack said with an amused scowl.

Sam threw her hands up. "You look like each other." She told them both.

"Aye, they do!" Eilid agreed, nodding her head. "They could be brothers."

Dod grinned. "When your father lived Sir M'Iver, the knight MacGyver did resemble him as well."

Sam got a weird look on her face. "Tall blond guy, sounds a lot like Jack when he talks but smarter?"

"Aye, that be the lad."

"Sir."

"Carter that can't be possible. How would he have gotten here."

"He shared his name with Sir Angus as well."

"No one at Phoenix has anything like that. We'd know about it."

"Would we though sir?"

"Uh, yah." Jack insisted.

"Then how do you explain him being here?"

"Magnets."

Sam shook her head.

"Merlin would have said something doncha think?"

"Not if he didn't think it was relevant sir." Sam insisted. Or didn't want us asking him before we left. "How many Angus MacGyvers do you think are out there sir."

"With that name hopefully only one." Jack said with a smirk. Angus glowered at him. "No offence. It suits you."

Angus side eyes Jack and shook his head. "This is the daft fool my King's steward sends my daughter off with."

"Now wait a minute." Jack said hotly.

Sam jumped up. "That's enough. Sir, apologize." She ordered Jack.

Jack looked everywhere but at Sam before finally mumbling "Sorry sir, I wasn't thinking."

Sam turned to Angus and looked at him expectantly.

"Tis but a minor slight made in ignorance." Jack colored but Sam stepped on his foot firmly and Jack held his tongue.

"Now then. Lets properly introduce ourselves." Sam said to both men.

"Jack of the Windy City. Pleased to meet you." Jack held out a hand.

"Angus of the clan M'Iver. Well met." And took Jack's proffered hand.

"Well now I know where you get it from sir." Sam huffed at Jack quietly.

"He started it." Jack muttered back.

"You're such a child."

"You like it."

"I'm calling Mac when we get home and asking him. You know that don't you."

"Carter I don't want to know that I'm related to Mac. It's weird."

"You're telling me."

"Pardon my intrusion lady Samantha but why does Sir Jack call you 'Carter'?" Florie asked her.

Before Sam could stammer through something unlikely he answered for her. "It's her family name. I wasn't allowed to call her by her given name while courting her."

"Is that what you call what you were doing."

"What would you call it?"

"You really don't want an answer to that question sir."

Jack realized their disagreement had devolved into them falling out of character and tried to course correct. "I'd have shown more affection had your father not repeatedly threatened my life."

"But he likes you." She insisted.

"He has an odd way of showing it my wife." Jack said with a grin. He liked Jake back, and he'd been telling the truth. Jake had in fact threatened him more than once to keep his hands to himself. He wasn't but he was at least being discrete. Only Teal'c seemed to know they were anything more than friends who flirt a lot.

"He's an odd man husband." She joked back.

"You can say that again." Jack agreed and hugged her to his side.

"I'm still telling Mac you're related."

"Please don't. It can't possibly be him anyway. There's no way."

"Astral projection."

"Carter! Astral projection isn't real. It's just silly 900 number nonsense."

"Think about it sir. If you are part Alteran Mac would be too." She insisted.

"You don't know that." Jack insisted.

"Yes I do. Where's the thing Merlin gave you?"

"I have it Samantha Carter." Teal'c told her.

Sam looked at Jack oddly. "Why does Teal'c have it?"

"Because Teal'c can't accidently set it off and you don't have pockets."

Sam shook her head. "Right now you don't even have a shirt. Sir M'Iver, may I ask you to touch an object? I would like to conduct an experiment. If I'm right, it glows when you touch it and we'll know the answer."

"As m'lady wishes." Angus said affably.

Teal'c held out the Time Jumper's recall unit for sir Angus to touch. Angus put out a hand tentatively and placed a finger on it. The JRU glowed softly at his touch. Angus pulled his hand back quickly. "By the gods!"

"There."

"That doesn't prove anything." Jack told her.

"Sir Angus do you have other children?"

"Aye. Three strapping lads as well as this miss." He said and put his hand on Eilid's shoulder.

"Which means any of the boys might have also inherited the gene. He might only be able to do it under extreme stress but apparently he can just like you can sometimes heal people sir."

"I can't really do that though Sam."

"But it does mean it's possible."

"It's highly improbable Carter." He told her with a firm set to his jaw and reached over and deactivated the call unit.

Dod spoke up. "Lady Elaine told me that when Morgana impaled him with one of her round arrows he fell to the ground dead then disappeared before their eyes. She was most upset to think he had died. I shall be glad to tell her otherwise."

"Lady Elaine?" Jack asked.

"Round arrows?" Sam asked.

"Galahad's wife. They were not wed yet when Morgana kidnapped and imprisoned her much as he had my father. My da saved Lady Elaine's life at the cost of his own. Morgana starved him to death for it. Sir Angus MacGyver saved her and Merlin but died before he could return. Arthur restored my family's good name and holdings to me but at a tragic cost. I'm told he tried to save my da and solved the riddle of his message to me as well."

"Well it sounds like Mac." Jack conceded. "Did he have a weird thing about not using weapons?"

"He bested Duncan by roping him like a goat."

Sam and Jack looked at each other and said together "It's Mac." Then laughed.

"Great. I'm related to freakin MacGyver." Jack said in resignation.

"You like Mac!" Sam accused him.

"Not enough to be related to him." Jack nearly whined and Sam rolled her eyes.

"If it makes you feel better about it I'm going to mess with him about how we found out." Sam admitted.

"It really does. Thanks."

Sam beamed up at him and Jack gave her a goofy smile. Angus decided if his daughter loved her husband half as much it would be a good match.


	6. Both that Morning Equally Lay

**Chapter 6 – Both that Morning Equally Lay**

"You've made arrangements for a ferry then?" Jack prompted Angus again.

"Yes yes and they have been paid as well merchant. Ye are as skinflint as a Caledonian." Angus groused.

"You should know Sir Angus as you are one." Gwalchmei told him with a smirk.

Sam, who was dressed once again in her leather vest and hose was helping Teal'c secure their packs, chuckled.

"I wish you all safe travels my friends. King Suibne Ui Neill will have your payment ready for you once Lady Eilid is delivered safely to Captain Ui Neill."

Jack nodded. They didn't need the money but it would look very odd for a slightly down on his luck trader to turn it down. They would donate it and the horses to a local church on their way out of town. "Thank you for your hospitality Gwalchmei. This was great."

"You must visit us again soon Jack of the Windy City." Gwalchmei told him.

"It will be a very long time before we are this way again Sir Gwalchmei." Wasn't _that_ the truth.

"God's speed then son." The steward said and was confused by Jack and Sam's amusement. "Have I said something droll?"

"Oh yah." Jack laughingly assured him with a pat on his back. "You remind me of the guy I take orders from in my own military. Except the hair. You have a lot more hair."

"Ah." Gwalchmei said not sure what to make of that so he patted Jack on his shoulder in return. "Lady Samantha, it has been most enjoyable to have you as part of our court at Camulodunum." He bowed over her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Sam smiled at him. "I will miss you my Lord." She admitted. "I'll miss your wife as well."

"I shall miss you as well my dear. Your presence here has been delightful." And the steward of Tintagel hugged Sam. "Take this dear. Should you find yourself in need it may smooth your way." He handed her a pendant on a chain. The pendant was embossed with a two headed eagle. She bowed for him to put it around her neck and then hugged him back.

Angus turned to his daughter. "Mind your manners lass. Goodman O'Neill is your kinsman and therefore worthy of your respect." Eilid nodded. Even were he not she'd been watching him train with the knights and noted that though he'd seemed inexperienced with a spatha at the start he'd made huge gains with minimal instruction. She'd marveled at his lean muscular body as well. The knights practiced shirtless and Jack of the Windy City was a well formed man. Especially one of his age. Most men in their middle years were growing portly. Sir Jack certainly was not. He was much admired by the ladies of the keep for this.

"I shall da. I promise."

"Good. I expect you to be kind to the porters as well."

"Of course da!" she told him in an injured tone.

He laughed and hugged her. "I will miss you lass. I shall see you in the spring for your wedding." He turned then to Jack. "You will protect her as she is your own." It was an order not a question.

"Of course." Jack said, tilting his head and replying as though it was a given as it was.

"Don't let her give you any guff either." Angus said with a laugh and a light sideways punch to Jack's arm. Jack chuckled with him.

"All right, is everyone ready?" Jack called out. The porters on Eilid's wagons nodded.

"I am ready O'Neill" Teal'c said mounting his large grey dappled shire.

Jack cupped his hands together to take Sam's foot to help lift her onto her mare. Sam gave him an amused look but put her foot into his hand for the boost. "All set?" He asked her, humor twinkling his eyes.

Sam settled into her saddle and took up the reigns. "I'm ready." She told him.

Jack nodded and patted her leg absently.

"All right campers. Lets hit the road. I want to make Reading by nightfall tomorrow if we can."

"So long as the cart horses don't falter you should do well Goodman Jack." Angus told him.

Jack gave him a short nod.

"Safe travels my friends." Gwalchmei told them and Jack trotted his chestnut gelding to the front.

"Sam, stay with the girl, Teal'c, rear point." He instructed them. Both nodded and the small caravan got rolling.

Gwalchmei and Angus watched them leave. "A most unusual couple." The steward told the knight.

"Aye my Lord. But far more devoted to one another than many knights in arms."

"That my friend is the result of a love match rather than an arranged marriage."

"How do you suppose he managed that do you think." Angus asked in wonder.

"I suspect it helps to have a doting father who puts his daughter's feelings ahead of his personal gain." Gwalchmei said with amusement. "A captain." He asked his friend.

"He's a seemly lad." Angus said with a shrug and a slight smile.

"He drives a row boat." Gwalchmei said jovially.

"It's called a Galley" They're very safe." Angus said in an injured tone.

Gwalchmei laughed. "If the lad makes her happy my friend, I wouldn't care if he was a goat herder."

"Aye. I've lads to carry on the family name. Do you suppose he's really related to lady Elaine's friend?"

"His wife seems to think so."

"If so, I owe his clan a great boon."

"I don't think he'd accept it. I offered to knight him and he turned me down. Told me being a warrior of his own people was enough."

"That is unusually deep honor."

"He seemed most reluctant to be paid for his services either and Lady Samantha returned the dresses my wife altered for her. Said they would be out of season by the time she returned if she ever did but I got the distinct impression she felt it would be taking advantage."

"I don't think they are really traders." Angus decided.

"Probably not, but whatever their true story, what they were doing here was the only thing they lied about. Perhaps their mission was to be sure your daughter arrived at her husband's doorstep." Gwalchmei grinned. "I got the distinct impression the lady Samantha is a sorceress."

* * *

They found themselves between towns when they needed to stop for the evening. Jack was in a foul mood that the carts would add to their travel time. It would add at least another half a week to their time when they had already lost several days as it was. He was starting to feel like a three hour tour... Ordinarily he was thrilled with extra time with Carter but the circumstances had her moods all over the place as she tried to stay in character without acting on how she felt. He wasn't stupid or blind. He knew she returned his feelings. That she had for a while now. He wasn't sure when scratching an itch had become casual dates and staring into each others eyes with longing but it had.

Jack set up the tent with the help of the cart drivers who he told to finish dragging everything and get it set up while he checked on how the girls were managing the kitchen. Carter was a fair field cook. He had no idea how good the kid was. The drivers had picked off a doe earlier and Teal'c had quickly butchered it on the road, taking the best pieces and leaving the rest for the local peasants who had watched them hungrily.

Sam seemed to have things under control so he pulled up a stump near the fire and finally relaxed for a minute. Once Sam had the food going and made Eilid understand you had to keep turning the meat and not let the vegetables boil over she came over and sat next to his leg, tiredly leaning on his knee, her arm draped over his leg.

Absently he stroked her hair. "I'm sorry this is difficult for you." He told her.

"I'll be all right Jack. It's only frustrating."

He nodded solemnly but continued to stroke her hair.

Teal'c came back with another armful of fire wood. "I will take first watch O'Neill. Lady Eilid's servants will take second and third watch."

"Do you think they can be trusted?"

"I shall kel'no'reem outside to ensure it." The Jaffa said affably.

Jack nodded. He could use the rest. Castle hours ended late in the morning and began earlier still. He and Sam had slept exhausted in each other's arms the last two nights as the celebration of Eilid's wedding had been non stop.


	7. Leaves no Step Has Trodden Black

**Chapter 7 – Leaves no Step Has Trodden Black**

"Wadayah mean two weeks?!" Jack yelled at the hapless Galley pilot.

"I apologize my Lord but our ships can't cross the open water like you believe they can. We would capsize or be torn asunder."

"Not if you tack into the wind they won't." Jack insisted. "You could cut the trip down to four days and come out at the city I want to cross at." He would concede he hadn't counted on the ship only going about thirteen and a half knots on a good day.

""I'd like to see you try." The pilot said with a laugh.

"Carter do you have that quill Gwalchmei gave you?" Jack bellowed at her where she stood with their charge and her belongings a few yards off.

"Stay here" Sam told he girl.

"I'm not getting involved in that. He looks like his head is about to pop off."

"That's because it's about to." Sam agreed and found the pen and the well of ink. She had a scrap of parchment she figured he needed. Sam jogged over to Jack who was staring balefully at the sailor. He'd let his beard grow out for the trip so he was starting to look like the Gorden's fisherman but Sam wasn't about to let him know that.

Jack took the implements and squatted at the ground. "Look, it's not that complicated" and he started drawing diagrams and gesturing as he explained what the diagrams meant. The sailor's eyes slowly widened in dawning light. "Get it now?"

"Oh aye! If my ship can take the rigors this will make me the richest sailor on Muir Éireann!"

"So will you do it?" Jack asked him

"Aye! Twill be my pleasure to test her against the center of the sea!" The sailor clapped Jack soundly on the back and stomped off to his crew to order them to load up the ship."

"Was that a good idea?"

"It's not my worst idea and Merlin can always fix it later. Besides, the Vikings have been doing it for ages already. I didn't teach him anything he might not have learned on accident on his own."

"That's reassuring." She said with an eyeroll.

"How are you holding up Carter?" he asked her gently.

"I'm fine sir."

"I hate when you say that. It never means you're actually fine."

"We've been in worse situations."

"True. No one is shooting at us or chasing us for a change. If the food was edible we could just run away here."

Sam giggled. "We would definitely need to cook our own food and invent toilets, running water, electricity..."

"Ok, Ok, I get it. This isn't your idea of a fun date."

Sam looked at him askance. "When did I say that?"

Jack looked startled. She was having fun? He grinned as he looked into her eyes. "I am going to buy you so much steak for admitting you are having fun."

"It's a little fun." She admitted with a small grin.

* * *

"Are they always like that?" Eilid asked Teal'c.

"Usually they are worse Eilid M'Iver."

"Worse? They flirt like lovelorn newlyweds."

"Indeed."

* * *

"Sir Jack!" the pilot yelled.

"Everything on board?"

"Aye sir. We had to lash the carts to the decks."

"Take it up with her father; I'm just the delivery guy."

"Ye look to be a relation."

"Distant." Jack said dismissively.

"I'll inform your wife and menservants of our departure." The pilot who was also an Ui Neill told Jack.

"Great. Lets shove off." Jack told him and scanned the area for Sam. He signaled her to get on board and she nodded then turned to speak to Eilid.

As the rowers drew in the gangway and cast off Jack quipped "Everyone buckled in?"

Eilid turned to Sam. "Buckled in?"

"He's being silly." Sam explained.

"It is rather charming. Máel is rather droll himself."

"Why don't you tell me about him." Sam suggested.

"Hm, well, he's very comely. Hs hair is dark and his eyes blue like yours." Eilid's eyes were dark brown like Jack's and her father's. "He's a very proud man and doesn't tolerate being crossed, especially by friends. He's loyal to who's loyal to him." She grinned. "He likes children and is kind to animals." She thought a long while. "Other than in looks he's much like your husband I think."

"It sounds like it." Sam admitted.

"I have a question."

"Ok." Sam said.

"Why have you not shared relations this whole trip?"

Sam looked startled. "I beg your pardon?"

"You clearly have great affection for each other. Why do you not consummate your marriage when you can? I could sleep with the porters."

"First of all we told your father we wouldn't let you out of our sight. Secondly Jack is shy." Sam said with a laugh.

"Shy?"

"He won't even kiss me in public usually."

Eilid threw her head back and laughed. "So he has flaws after all."

Sam rolled her eyes, tilted her head and gave a half grin. "Several. Would you like a list?"

Eilid laughed again. "Now I truly know you are long married. My parents make a similar jest."

"I was surprised your mother didn't come with you to Tintagel." Sam admitted.

"She would have but she has been unwell. We hope she will be in good health in the spring for the wedding. If not da will come alone or perhaps with one of my brothers."

"I'm sorry. I hope she gets better."

"Who's sick?" Jack asked as he came over and sat next to Sam so she was sandwiched between Eilid and himself.

"My mother Sir Jack."

"You do remember I turned down being knighted don't you."

"I still don't understand why you did that sir."

"Because wife, you are smug and insufferable enough without hitting Rodney McKay level insufferable because your husband was knighted." He told her, dabbing her nose gently to make her giggle and wrinkle it up the way she had when he'd offered her some haggis a few weeks ago.

"I am not smug."

"I saw all the ladies checking me out and you preening every time they talked to you while they did it." He told her.

Sam made an O at him. How had he been watching her and besting better trained men in swordplay? "When did you actually learn how to wield a sword sir."

"I hate when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Figure out something about me with next to zero clues." But his eyes were twinkling with mirth because he actually adored it.

"I wouldn't have to do that if you opened up once in a while sir."

"What do you want to know?" He asked her, his voice had gone low as he leaned towards her and they became lost in each other.

Eilid quietly got up without a word and went to sit with her porters and Teal'c. "They're doing it again." She announced.

"This trip has been challenging for them." Teal'c agreed. "O'Neill expected a trip of no more than eighteen days. This trip has taken us much longer than he planned for."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could make it faster for him. You must miss your families."

"They each have little family besides each other. Samantha Carter has responsibilities she must return to as does O'Neill."

"They aren't really merchants are they."

"They are not Eilid M'Iver." Teal'c agreed.


	8. Knowing how Way Leads on to Way

**Chapter 8 – Knowing how Way Leads on to Way**

Unloading the ship had taken three hours because Sam's mare balked at being moved. Jack had finally had to put a blindfold on her and bribed her with sweet words and Sam's protein bars to coax her back over the gangplank.

"She's as bad as you were before you made Major." Jack told Sam and handed her the reigns. Sam had given him a shocked and hurt look until he'd grinned and stolen a quick kiss that had left her mystified and blushing.

Eilid had watched them discreetly from her horse next to the wagons. She knew Sir Jack would not compromise with her riding with lady Samantha and she now knew why. The older woman had been teaching her basic self defense and how to use her carving knife as a dagger when under attack. Jack had given them an approving nod as Sam ran her through the basic points of how to disable a man which had surprised Eilid. Most men found such things unfeminine. Sir Jack however encouraged lady Samantha to be both physically and emotionally strong. They supported each other but he did not control her nor she him.

Perhaps with effort she could have that with her own husband. Eilid however decided the couple in front of her were of primary concern. If privacy was what they needed then privacy they would have.

"Teal'c." She said to the large Berber in a sweet wheedling tone.

"Lady Eilid." He said to her with a nod.

"I would ask a boon of you."

"What is it that you wish for Lady Eilid M'Iver?"

"Would you say Lady Samantha and Sir Jack would be less... eh…"

"Agitated?" Teal'c suggested.

"Yes, that's a good choice, would they be less agitated if they were not so. Um…"

"Thwarted." He said with an amused raise of his eyebrow.

"Exactly!" she agreed.

"Samantha and O'Neill rarely have missions that they lack privacy for such durations. They each have a great deal of self control but forced confinement has effected their ability to control their feelings."

Eilid looked at him quizzically. "They aren't really married are they." She asked him.

Teal'c, seeing she would not let on that she knew this, admitted. "They are not."

"Yet they clearly are deeply in love with one another."

"Indeed."

"Is one of them married to someone else?"

"No. They cannot marry due to political reasons." Which was as close to the truth as she'd understand he decided.

"Oh no. That's worse than what happened to poor Arthur."

"Indeed." Sam had told Jack the sad story of Medraut before dinner their first night at Tintagel along with other bits of castle intrigue she'd learned. O'Neill had not been able to keep his eyes off her that night at the castle and he'd fully expected them to make an exception to their usual rules about offworld mission behavior as they were not in fact, off world. They were however on a mission, even if it technically was self serving, and his friends had surprised him by getting in bed and falling asleep with neither awkwardness nor any sounds of lovemaking no matter how discreet.

"Might I stay up through your watch tonight?" she asked him having decided they deserved some alone time.

"I would be honored Lady Eilid M'Iver." He said with a bow. He agreed with her entirely. They might still not resolve their physical frustration but perhaps they would work out some of their emotional frustration with the situation and should they do both Teal'c wasn't interested in airing his friend's private feelings to their employer.

* * *

"So she just decided to stand first watch with Teal'c?" Jack asked her. A single oil lamp illuminated the pavilion style tent. The porters had their own smaller tent.

"That's what she told me. Said something about feeling she should learn to earn her keep as she'd be married soon so if she traveled with her husband she'd not be a burden."

"That's a very adult thought process for a sixteen year old kid."

"I agree." Se told him and watched as he shrugged his shirt off and scrubbed his chest with the basin of water they had collected earlier.

"Here." She said to him and took the rag to wash his back for him.

"Want me to return the favor?" He asked her when she was done and she looked up in his eyes. He watched her breath catch and the longing in her eyes. He pulled her forward and covered her mouth with his own, the kiss slow and sweet and deep. Her nails dug into his back and she moaned softly.

"Jack." His name was as soft as a sigh as he was kissing her neck and shoulder, his hands pulling her closer.

"Sam." He replied, his voice husky with need.

"We shouldn't be doing this." But her hands explored the warm familiar expanse of skin of his back and her head was angled to give him better access to her neck.

Jack sighed and slowed his kisses until they were feather soft then looked into her eyes. They were dark with desire and her body was taunt with need. He bent and slipped his arm under her knees and carried her to their bedrolls that were next to each other. Her arms had wrapped around his neck automatically as he laid her down and lay beside her.

His hand slid up her leg until it rested on her hip. She had stripped down to the long linen shirt she wore under the cuirass and the short linen britches the ladies had given her to wear under her chemise as she did every night. "Sam." He said to her as he leaned on his elbow and cupped her face with the hand he was leaning on. "I want you."

Sam's eyes were heavy lidded as she looked into his "You know I want you."

He lowered his face until their mouths met and he groaned with need. After a long moment he gentled the fervent kiss and looked into her eyes. "You were right though. We shouldn't be doing this here. It's not genuinely private."

"Do you think we'll have our own room in Segontia?"

"We might have our own hut. The Irish don't have castles yet, just big stone and dirt forts with daub and waddle houses inside it."

Sam sighed in frustration. "You've got to be kidding."

He chuckled a little. "Sorry to ruin your opinion of history, but they won't have castles until the eleven hundreds, and even then they will be mostly big square towers rather than actual castles."

She slid her fingers into his hair and stroked her short nails against the nape of his neck in the way that always made him purr with need.

"You aren't helping my self control here Carter." He said with a groan into her neck, reminding them both they were technically at work.

"Sorry." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Do you think, after we get home we could…"

"Do something about this. Oh yah. It's only a few more days Carter. We can handle it."

She sighed. "Just hold me."

"Always Sam." He told her earnestly and lay next to her on his side with his arm tight around her waist, his face buried into her hair.

She turned her face into his neck and breathed him in until she fell asleep.

Eilid found them that way when she came in from her watch and pulled a blanket over them both with a soft smile. "If I had one wish for you my friends," she said softly, "it would be for you to find a way to be happy in each other's arms in the way you wish to be." Her fervent heartfelt prayer swirled into the dark nigh to join the billions of other prayers made that night. But perhaps it was heard.


	9. If I should Ever Come Back

**Chapter 9 – If I should Ever Come Back**

The wagons had added an extra half day time per his daily estimate and while Jack wasn't quite fuming, a week and a day after making landfall in eastern Ireland they had crossed country to their intended destination on the west coast. The ring fort wasn't a castle but it was impressive nevertheless. The walls were huge enough to entirely hide the buildings inside. There were only two entrances. One for the animals out into the countryside and anoher on the other end by the sea for humans to enter and exit. They pulled the over laden wagons up to the livestock entrance.

"Ho there strangers! What brings you to Killapuglonane round?" asked a guard in a helm that looked like a mustachioed face. The armor otherwise was similar to any of the other armor Sam had seen over the last week and a half.

"Good morrow Goodman. I've brought a wee lass to be wed to her betrothed Capin Máel Ui Neill ." Jack replied waving his arm in a friendly way. He'd sunk into entirely in character at this point and Sam rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh at him matching the guard's thick Irish brogue.

"And ye be?"

"Dinna I not jes tell ye lad? Are ye daft?! Jack demanded.

Eilid looked at Jack her mouth hanging open in shock. She looked at Sam who was tying very hard not to laugh and realized Jack's sense of humor was getting the better of him. She brought her blue roan forward and looked up at the guard. "Is Captain Máel at sea?" she asked him.

"He is not." The guard informed her in a stuffy voice.

"Then I suggest you go fetch him, servant." She said imperiously. It was entirely an act on her part. She was positively chatty with the wagon drivers and couldn't care less about her own station or theirs but she might one day be Lady of the keep and it might be important for her to remind them where their orders might be coming from at some point. Besides Jack was being silly and she was going to have to stifle giggles soon if he kept it up.

"As ye wish Lady." The guard told her and left the wall to find the captain as he motioned for the other guards to keep an eye on them.

"Stop that cousin. It's very hard to be imperious when I'm giggling." Eilid admonished Jack. Having been unable to determine the exact relation they had through marriage because Jack wasn't about to explain he was her many greats away grandson, she'd settled on the traditional standby of cousin. Jack had decided he liked her choice and just ran with it.

"What? I was being serious."

"Sir." Sam's voice had a long suffering tone to it.

"Carter." He replied in false innocence.

"You were not being serious O'Neill." Teal'c told him from his other side. The wagon drivers snickered.

Jack scowled but his eyes were bright with humor. "Sure I was."

"Cousin." Eilid said tiredly and heard Jack chuckle softly.

The guard returned with Eilid's intended though and he stood grinning up at his future wife. "Let them in you daft lad. We've been expecting them for days now." His voice was warm and rich and amused.

Eilid led them all forward, the wagons bringing up the rear. "My Lord, I would introduce you to my party." She told him, her eyes warm on his. He was clearly as much older than her as Jack was Sam but that was a normal situation for their time.

"Of course. Where are my manners. I am Captain Máel of the clan Ui Neill." He said as he stepped forward to help Eilid down from her horse.

"Máel, this is Jack of the Windy City, his delightful wife, Samantha, their loyal servant Teal'c and my servants Gawain and Nab." Jack and Teal'c bowed, Sam nodded having never quite mastered her curtsy and suspecting it wasn't the right response as he was a captain not the lord of the fort.

"I'm pleased to meet you all. I had expected your parents however my dear."

She shook her head. "Mother took ill. Da will be here for the wedding as will she if she is well, he did not think it right to leave her over long." She told him.

"Well then, I hope she is well by the spring. I'm sorry I won't get to meet them until then. Tell me Jack of the Windy City, what brings you to my fair corner of Eire, aside from my lovely wife to be of course."

"Oh just traveling through." Jack told him. "I'm a merchant and was hoping to find some trinkets to take back to sell in my own country." He said with a dismissive shrug.

"Where are your wagons and wares then trader?" he asked Jack astutely.

"Sold I'm afraid. My wife suffered an illness that required a lengthy stay at a very overpriced Inn. We sold off the wagons and horses in payment for our stay as she could not travel." He'd told the story so many times it now had a ring of truth to how he said it. Jack was pretty good at sounding convincing anyways.

"Are you well now then m'lady?" Máel asked her concerned.

"Oh, yah, I have been for quite a while now. Just making our way home now." Sam said with a shrug. They were after all.

"Good. You may stay as long as you like, having delivered my lovely wife to me." He told them graciously.

"We appreciate the offer but we can't stay long." Jack told him with a smile. He actually rather liked the younger man.

"Pity. I'm always interested in what's been going on in the rest of the world." Máel said. "Come on then, Can't stand around here outside all day. Let's go inside and share a flagon of mead shall we?"

Jack clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Sounds good to me" he told the shaggy brown haired man with bright blue eyes that seemed to have a perpetual twinkle of humor much like Jack's.

Máel laughed and lead them past the animal pens to the largest thatch roofed building in the round fort. It turned out to be a sort of great hall for dining and the clan leader to hold court such as it was. Several shaggy looking men in animal skins and a few women in long open front surcoats and simple veils sat around playing a dice game. "Athar! Wake up you cantankerous old gabhar." He said as he kicked the heavy chair an older man sat dozing in at the head of one of the tables.

"Wuh?" The old bearded man said startled. "Máel you lout of a lad why won't you leave an old man alone?"

"Because my brothers are too busy drinking your mead and romancing your wife's servants." Máel told him jovially. "I'm the only one of them to do what ye ask and you insult me like a bairn in breaches."

"What have ye done lad to warrant a good word then."

"I brokered a peace agreement with the king of Tintagel" He told the old man smugly.

"How did ye manage that lad." The old man asked incredulous but it was becoming increasingly obvious that this was simply a game and they weren't genuinely arguing.

"I found a likely lass to wed. The Caledonians seem reluctant to make war on their relatives." Máel said smugly.

"She must be an ugly girl to settle for a hideous face such as yours."

"As I share your face father I will have to ask my mother what she feels about such a remark." He said laughing

"Don't you dare say that to your mother boy." The old man warned then laughed. "Introduce me to your companions and your intended then. I've business to attend to."

"Aye, the backs of your eyelids are of utmost import." He waived Eilid forward first. He took her hand and smiled into her eyes tenderly. "This comely lass is named Eilid of the M'Iver clan."

"Oh. Is she blind lad? She's far too pretty for the likes of you."

"No Sire." Eilid replied with a laugh. "Foolish perhaps, but not blind."

The grizzle haired man laughed and slapped his knee. "I like this one Máel. Well done. Who are your companions lass?" he said ignoring his son who looked stymied but shrugged. He was used to being ignored after his father had someone pretty to talk to.

"The gentleman with grey hair is Jack of the Windy City, his very droll wife, Samantha, their manservant Teal'c and my porters Gawain and Nab. Her two men nodded and tipped their hats at the lord of the ring.

"Sir." Jack and Sam said together.

Teal'c inclined his head and smiled slightly.

"Ooch ye are a tall one boyo." He said to Jack. Jack grinned and started to reply but Sam elbowed him in the ribs. "And a wise wife I see." He said with a laugh.

"She's considerably smarter than me Sir." Jack told him.

"That's not terribly difficult sir." Sam said grinning at Jack.

At Jack's betrayed look Máel's father threw his head back and laughed. "I like this one. If ye should decide to divorce this fellow I've room for another wife lass."

Sam looked at him with wide eyes.

"He's kidding. I think." Máel said and scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Of course I'm kidding you daft eejit." Máel's father said laughing. "Yer ma would skin me like a goat." He grinned at Sam. "But ye are a comely lass and he'd be a fool of a man to treat you as anything aught but a queen."

"I like this one." Sam said smiling.

"You would." Jack said but smiled down at her and trailed his fingers down her arm until they tangled with hers. His eyes told her words he wished he could say to her.

She squeezed his hand. "He's grey haired, moody, makes snarky jokes. There's just something about him sir." She said grinning and Teal'c, Máel, his father, and Eilid laughed.

"Maebh! Maebh! Where ye be lass?" The old man bellowed.

"Here daid." A girl not much older than Eilid said from across the room.

"See that our guests have a clean room and linens. You'll at least stay the night?"

"Of course." Jack told him. It was rude to turn down Celtic hospitality.

* * *

"Are ye certain you cannot stay for the wedding?" Eilid asked Sam.

"I really wish we could but we need to get home. I'll miss you." Sam told her.

"I'll miss you as well. Be sure to give Sir Angus my father's thanks. We'd be living in a hovel without him."

"I will. I promise." She told the girl and hugged her.

"Here." Eilid undid the bronze cloak pin holding her surcoat together at her chest. "To remember me by."

"Thank you." Sam told her and hugged her again. "I'll remember you every time I wear it."

Jack walked up behind Sam and put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We have something for you too. I bought them with the intention of trading them but I think it's appropriate to give the bride a wedding gift." He handed her a small wood box. Eilid opened it to reveal delicate hooks suspending gold ovals ringed with silver beads and a blue Venetian glass beads dangling in the center of each.

"Sir Jack these are a princely gift!" the girl exclaimed.

"I thought they were pretty. I'm pretty sure these are from the Caspian Sea area but I could be wrong." Jack shrugged. Jewelry wasn't his area of expertise.

"They are beautiful. I shall cherish them forever." She said, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I will miss you very much cousin."

"I'll miss you too Ellie." He said and hugged her fondly.

"All right. All right break it up." Máel told them waiving his hands around.

"It was very nice getting to know you captain." Sam told him taking both his hands in hers.

"My lady, it has been a genuine pleasure." Máel told Sam sincerely and it was Jack's turn to side eye what was going on. Eilid giggled.

"What?" Jack and Máel said together.

"Cousin Jack ye and my father may look alike but ye and my husband _act_ alike." She said giggling and Sam smirked.

"I don't see what's wrong with that." Máel said.

Jack shrugged and Sam bit her lip trying not to laugh.

"Away with you lot before I start to cry." Eilid admitted and hugged Sam again.

Jack boosted Sam into her saddle before mounting his gelding. "Teal'c, is everything packed?"

"Why would it not be?" Teal'c asked him.

"Good point. Thank you for your hospitality. Have a long happy marriage you two."

"Have ye advise for a long happy marriage Jack of the Windy City?"

Jack grinned. Your wife is smarter than you so listen to her advice even if it doesn't make sense at first. Also, unless it's breaking the budget just ignore how much stuff she buys. Um, make sure she knows you appreciate everything she does." Jack nodded. That last part was really important. He'd forgotten once and, well, best not to dwell.

"Safe travels cousin." Eilid told him.

"Thank you." Jack turned his horse and walked him out the gate into the morning dew knowing Sam and Teal'c would follow him.

They made their way further south until they midmorning when they came to a costal village with a church. Jack asked around until he found the priest. He had a few things he wanted to hang on to but otherwise everything would be donated. He'd given most of the embroidery things to Máel's mother to distribute to her ladies.

"Goodman are you certain?"

"I am. We won't be needing any of this where we are going father." Jack told him handing him the money bag.

The priest looked at him mystified by this group of travelers giving up all their possessions for no apparent reason. "God be with you then lad."

"Thanks father. Make sure as much of this goes to those in need first."

"As you wish son." The priest assured him.

* * *

They sat on the edge of a clearing several miles from the town waiting for the time Jumper to make her way silently across Great Brittan. Jack dug in his pocket for a moment after Sam had become entirely lost in thought.

Something slipped over her head and she felt the brush of his fingers against her hair. She looked down and lifted the pendant he'd put around her neck. "What is this?"

"Just a memento." He said simply and she grinned. It was a silver laurel ring with a piece of reticulated glass or stone, she wasn't sure which, in almost the same blue as the Stargate. "It seemed appropriate." He said with a shrug.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. I love it."

Jack grinned. "I saved you some embroidery thread too." He admitted.


	10. And That Has Made All the Difference

**Chapter 10 – And That Has Made All the Difference**

Two weeks later Jack and Sam sat in a small diner in Colorado Springs. That it was the one where he'd later meet with his clone was purely coincidental as was the fact that the waitress who served him would later be dressed down by said clone.

Sam had called Pete Thorton to try to track down Mac as he was on assignment. She remembered Mac casually mentioning he'd done some genealogy work a few years ago and told him she might have found one of Mac's relatives which of course interested Pete. He'd set up the meeting for Mac who was on the way back from wherever he'd been with his son and was able to detour through Colorado Springs. Mac had originally quit working for Phoenix but as his main freelance work was ending up through them anyway he'd caved and renegotiated his contract.

Jack looked at Sam. "He's not usually this late." He observed.

"It's Mac. He could have been held up with anything."

"That's true." Jack said with a laugh. "There they are."

"Sorry we're late." Mac said as he slid into a chair. A dark haired younger man looked questioningly at Mac. Sam, this is Jack and well, Sam." Mac said laughing.

Sam looked at Sam then Jack. "You guys related?" he asked his father.

"Yah never know." Mac said with a shrug and motioned the kid to sit.

"So Pete tells me you guys might have found another relative." Mac said to Sam Carter knowing Jack would muddle the details with random unrelated information and forgetting important parts.

"How much did you find out about your family history past the death of Iain M'Iver?" Sam asked him.

"Not much." He admitted. I got a little side tracked after that with a mission and finding out I'm a dad." Mac told her.

"That would do it." Jack agreed and shrugged when Mac gave him a look.

"Anyway I didn't have a lot of time to follow up on it. Why were you looking into my family history Sam?"

"I wasn't. It came up related to someone else's family history." She smiled.

"I didn't know you were into genealogy."

"Generally I'm not, but we had a visitor that needed our help and it was sort of specific who had to be involved." Mac had a good idea what they did under the mountain as he had fairly high clearance but she had no idea what his son's rating was and she wasn't about to be the one to fill him in without a reason.

"Anyone I know?"

"Oh you have definitely met."

"Well that narrows things down considerably." Mac generally didn't meet the odd characters that came from the mountain unless Sam needed really specific technical advice. "Anyone you can clue me in on?"

Jack grinned. "Tall guy, white beard, dresses funny."

Mac looked at him oddly. "What?"

"You heard me."

"But he's, he was just…"

"A harmless magician?"

"Yes!"

"Dad what's going on?"

"Nothing that should be possible." Mac told the brown haired young man.

"Oh it's possible and I'm pretty sure I know how it happened. How did you get back?" Sam Carter asked him.

"Morgana shot me and I woke up on the sidewalk with an EMT patching me up."

"Shot you?"

"With a home made bullet. She'd invented gun powder." He told her.

"She didn't invent it. She just remembered it could be made and figured out the formula." She told him.

"Remembered?"

"She's from the same place your grey bearded friend was from, and trust me, they are way past gunpowder." Jack said.

"So that's why he was so worried about her notes."

Sam looked at him quizzically.

"He tried to retrieve them before the whole place blew to hell and she shot me." Mac told her. "Wait. Back up. How did you know about that?"

Jack grinned again then his face went stone serious. Sam had stomped on his foot. This was her party.

"Dod told us." She said with a mild look and a shrug of her shoulders. Had she said Taliesin Mac would have thought she was making a joke but only someone who actually met the man knew his Christian name was Dod.

Mac sat with his mouth hanging open. "How… how did you..." he gaped.

"How did you?" she countered.

"That's just it. I don't know. I thought I'd just had a really vivid dream until…"

"Until what?" Jack asked pretending he wasn't interested.

"Uh, Arthur gave me a gift and it, well, it was in my pocket."

"A gift huh. One he gave you when he knighted you perhaps?" Jack asked him.

Mac blushed. "I've never told anyone that part."

Sam smiled. "So you don't have any idea how you did it?"

"None." He admitted. "And I have less idea how you both did either."

"Well, I can't tell you about how we did but I think I can solve for you how you did." She said grinning. She'd stopped by her lab before coming and brought a rather harmless item she kept as a bit of a toy for Jack to play with. It was a random Alteran piece of tech that didn't seem to do anything useful but it _would_ light up if Jack touched it.

"All right. How can you prove you know what happened?"

She held out the small cube. "Touch this." She told him.

Mac shrugged. "Ok but what is this going too… woah." He said when it lit up.

Sam grinned at Jack. "Told you."

"Ok fine. You were right. The boys got the gene too." Jack grumped.

"I still have no idea what's going on and why that lit up when I touched it but not when you touched it Sam."

"Because it only reacts to people who have Alteran ancestors and I don't have one. You however do. In fact, you have the same ancestor as the person I now know is directly related to you."

"And who's that?" Mac asked her now curiously playing with the cube turning it on and off.

His son reached over and tried touching it and it lit up for him too. "Neat." Sam Malloy said.

"Yah. It's really cool isn't it." Jack told him and snagged the cube to toss back and forth between his hands, it lighting on and off as he touched it and let it go.

Mac stared at him in utter shock. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope." Jack told him gleefully. Sam had wound him up but Jack got dibs on the pitch.

"But... how?"

"Your great whatever grandma was Iain M'Iver's granddaughter. Her father had three sons and a daughter. His daughter married my great whatever grandpa Máel Ui Neill." Jack told him with a smug smile. "That makes us nine hundred years distant cousins." He thought for a second. "Oh and she says to thank you for restoring her family name."

Mac sat back against his chair in shock. He looked at Jack. "I don't know what to say."

"You can say that again. You guys worked with each other and you never figured it out?" Mac's son said laughing.

"Well, lots of Irish guys look alike." Jack said defensively.

"That still doesn't explain how I got there." Mac insisted.

"Actually Mac, it does. People with the gene are able to sometimes do things the Alterans could do. Psychic healing. Psychic communication. Astral projection." She said pointedly.

Mac laughed. "Aw Sam, I never took you for the horoscope type."

"See Carter. I told you he'd laugh."

"Wait, she's serious?" Mac knew Jack loved a good joke but he always backed his Carter up no matter how crazy the idea. He had some pretty specific reasons why he did that.

"Mac," Jack told him, "Dod told us Lady Elaine said after you were shot you slumped to the ground dead then… dissolved." Jack made an obvious finger wiggle indicating magic with his hands.

"And the only reason that might happen is astral projection which you might not have any control over but apparently you can do." Sam insisted. Her blue eyes bright.

"Ok, so we're related. That's cool I guess." Mac conceded.

"Sir we need to let Hammond know there's another person with your genetics." Sam told Jack.

"I don't know that's such a great idea Carter." Jack said, his jaw set.

"Why would that matter to your guy's work?" Mac got pulled in on projects occasionally because of his skill set and problem solving skills but he really knew very little about what his apparently distant cousin did for a living other than chase bad guys."

"Carter, our grey haired associate purposely didn't tell us something I'm pretty sure he knew. He might have been worried we'd ask him to do stuff Mac won't want to do." Jack told her pointedly."

"Sam, you know how I feel about violence." Mac reminded her.

Jack gave her a see, I told you so look. "Roped Duncan like a goat." Jack reminded her.

Mac's son laughed at the comment even though he didn't genuinely understand what was going on. "Like a goat dad?"

Mac shrugged. "It solved the problem." He said affably.

They all laughed for a moment until Sam's phone rang.

"Sir, I need to take this." She told Jack.

He recognized the ring tone and waived her off. I'll meet you in the truck after I pay the bill." She nodded and hurried off as he watched her go with his heart in his eyes.

"Have you told her? The blond man asked Jack. Mac was a couple years younger than Jack but his blond hair only had a scattering of grey with a white patch at each temple as opposed to Jack's solidly graying short hair.

"Told her what?" Jack asked him.

"That you're in love with her."

"Why would I tell her _that_." Jack said, his voice deceptively mild ignoring his own bad grammar.

"Because she deserves to know Jack." Mac huffed at him with his are you stupid or just crazy look.

"She knows." Jack said flatly.

"Yah… but have you told her?"

"Mac is there a point to this conversation?" Jack huffed irritated.

"Ok, ok, you don't want to tell her for some reason. What if something happens to one of you. What then." Mac knew they had a dangerous job that could, and had resulted in random deaths. Sam had told him how hard Jack had taken the death of one of his old team mates a couple years ago.

"What difference would it make? It's not like we can be together that way." Jack pointed out. "For all I know she doesn't feel that way back anyway."

Mac looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "So transfer or promote her to her own command. Jack I don't know how long you've been in love with her but I can tell you almost exactly how long she's been in love with you."

"And what makes you think you know that bit of information."

"Because she went from blushing when she talked to both of us to only blushing when she talked to you. She treats me like... well, like your hot cousin." Mac's hands waved around in agitation.

Jack barked out a laugh. "If you say so Angus." He said, deliberately bating the younger man with his given name.

"Just… think about it at least ok?" Mac said. "We don't always have as much time as we think we do." He looked at his son who had stayed politely quiet through most of the exchange.

Jack nodded. He'd heard the story from Pete during Mac's short retirement about finding out he had a son with a woman he loved but lost touch with when they decided it was never going to work out because neither was able to settle down. Would he or Sam ever be able to settle down? Perhaps wanderlust just ran in his family. It seemed to in hers. Mac was rarely in the same place for very long. "Look I'll make sure Sam doesn't say anything about knowing about this." He waved his hand vaguely around the table. "Unless it's an absolute emergency. It's probably safer if no one knows about it anyways."

"Safer for who?" Mac's son asked.

"Well, you mostly." Jack admitted.

"I can take care of myself." The kid said in about the same way his father would have and Jack smiled.

"Not against some of the crap I run in to. Now if you want to join the military or earn a CR4 level clearance I might clue you in on what kind of crazy crap I run into. By the way, you look exactly like my uncle Dave."

Mac laughed. "He's not kidding Sam. We really don't want to know." Mac was already far too familiar with some of the stuff they did and part of him wanted to know but the other sane part told him not to touch that with someone else's stick.

Jack threw a few bills on the table to pay for their meal. "I better get going. Whatever they called Carter about I'm sure she's going to want to get back."

"Good seeing you Jack. Kind of nice to know I have a little family left after all." He admitted.

Jack snorted. "Distant family." But he grinned. Mac grinned back. "Don't worry. I won't ditch yah."

"Never thought you would Jack." Mac said in amusement and watched his older cousin leave.

"Military?" Sam asked his father.

"Yup. Air Force. She's in his chain of command."

"Do you think he'll take your advise?"

"Nah. He'll wait until it's too late or nearly too late." Mac said with a shrug. There wasn't anything he could do about how stubborn Jack was at all even if it would save him some heart ache.

**_AN:_**_ When I could, I used the oldest known version of the names from the Arthurian legends because Jack as a fan would know the origins of those kind of things. To the best of my knowledge place names are accurate to the era. I had to compromise and pick a random ring fort on the coast where I wanted it to be to explain Máel's profession. Yes the choice of names is very tongue in cheek deliberate. Unfortunately it was easier to just use modern Irish for the father son conversation. Máel calls his father a goat._

**_AN2:_**_ Sam says something to Jack in Divide and Conquer (S4E5) that set the Fate series in motion in my head. She tells Jack there was something they weren't admitting because of their ranks which kind of suggests there's some stuff going on they pretty much just don't talk about. This story ends days before Anise shows up with her troublesome arm bands._


End file.
